


Now Lay Me Down to Sleep

by elenyar



Series: Now Lay Me Down To Sleep [1]
Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jaehwan, Minor Violence, Minor Yoon Jisung/Ha Sungwoon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-06-19 13:43:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15511137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenyar/pseuds/elenyar
Summary: "It is pretty common for Seongwu to occasionally get visions of the person's death when he touches that person, which is partly the reason why he does not indulge in skinship. However in Daniel's case, the same vision is being repeated so often with increasing frequency as of late could only mean one thing; that vision is a vision of Daniel's true death and his time is quickly running out."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an AU world where 70% of the world's population has supernatural powers or a little bit of magic inherited from their supernatural ancestors Wanna One still exists as a monster rookie group. Most of the members has the same powers illustrated in the recent Undivided album, while others does not...
> 
> p/s: Please ignore the timeline because I am horrible at that. If there is any grammar or spelling mistakes, please forgive me. I am not very good at writing so will take a long time to update this... Sorry and thank you for reading! :)))

Seongwu couldn't quite control the flinch when Daniel's fingers accidentally brushed against his during the media photo op for the nth time. He should be used to the vision of Daniel's death by now but he can't. Not when it is Daniel's.

_Daniel lying in an ever growing pool of blood, pain etched onto his face with an obsidian dagger plunged deep into his abdomen while the faceless crowd around them surged in chaos._

_The thick cloying smell of blood intermingling with the crisp scent of freshly fallen snow fills Seongwu's nose with an utter sense of wrongness as he tries futilely to staunch the bleeding wound._

_Daniel gasping weakly, struggling to speak; a stark contrast to the desperate grip of his bloodstained fingers on Seongwu's shirt, "Hyung. Seongwu hyung... I.... you..."_

"Hyung. Seongwu hyung? It's time to move. Did you space out again?" Seongwu snapped into attention, slightly disoriented as Daniel chuckled fondly at his seemingly absent mindedness.

Cameras still flashed around them and Seongwu was sure his embarassed face at this moment will be captured in every angle and go viral soon on social media.

When Daniel reached to gently cradle his wrist with his long fingers to guide him to the studio entrance Seongwu was ready and braced himself for the barrage of visions again. He was relieved when none came this time.

It is pretty common for Seongwu to occasionally get visions of the person's death when he touches that person, which is partly the reason why he does not indulge in skinship. However in Daniel's case, the same vision is being repeated so often with increasing frequency as of late could only mean one thing; that vision is a vision of Daniel's true death and his time is quickly running out.

***

A few days later, Seongwu was found huddled alone on his bed carefully hidden under his blankets with fingers hovering over the call button. He contemplated if he should call the only person who can help but the impending lecture he knew would follow held him back.

He recalled Daniel's bright smile earlier when he gushed about his upcoming shoot on "It's Dangerous Outside the Blankets"; how he was looking forward to getting a good rest and eating delicious food as flurries of snowflakes weaved in, out, between his fingers and wrists like an intricate dance, mirroring his enthusiasm.

It is mesmerising to see Daniel lose control of his powers whenever he gets excited and coupled with his warm personality, it is no wonder he charmed the whole nation (and Seongwu as well but that is besides the point.)

Seongwu sighed, feeling resigned and pressed the button. He has always been weak to that smile.

After a few rings, an exuberant feminine voice filtered over the line, "Seongwu? Are you in trouble? Or do you need more pocket money?"

"Hello, noona. No, I'm good. Busy but good and for the last time, I can earn my own pocket money now." Seongwu shook his head exasperately. He can never understand why his sister keep thinking he is in trouble whenever he rang.

"It's because you don't do social calls." Whoops. He must have accidentally voiced it out loud.

"Nooonaaa..." Seongwu whined as he fiddled with one of the seal dolls' flipper on his bed.

"Your aegyo doesn't work on me Ong Seongwu. Not since you were two years old and I had to change your diapers. Now spill."

"Well, it's regarding Daniel. I have been getting the same visions more often now," he replied quietly. "Do you know..."

"No."

"I haven't even finished my question," Seongwu pouted cutely with his famous hinggu expression.

"I am not telling you how much time Daniel has left on his life timer because I know you. You are just going to be weirdly obsessed with it or worse; do something stupid. And from your less than stellar track record, I bet you are planning to do the latter."

Seongwu bit his lip hard. "But I cannot just sit back and do nothing. You know how much he means to me."

"Then do us both a favour and confess to him that you love him. Spend whatever time you have together wisely so both of you will have no regrets."

"It's not that simple, noona. He is not interested in me that way. Daniel prefers older women who are cute and small and I am neither of those. I would rather he be obliviously happy than make things awkward between us."

"That is not for you to decide. Tell him." his sister huffed.

"I didn't call you for this. Can we not talk about it? I just want to know how much longer he has. At the very least I have a time frame where I can help him fulfil his dreams or something."

"Yes, like offer yourself on a silver platter wearing nothing but a collar, cat ears and tail. I'm sure he'd like that."

"Noona!" Seongwu exclaimed scandalised with face flaming red. "I am serious, please!"

"So am I. Seongwu, I won't tell you how much time Daniel has left no matter how you beg and that is final. Meddling with near deaths are one thing, but interfering with a true death? You of all people should understand how dangerous and crazy that is. Descendants of Death notwithstanding; there are certain lines that we should not and must not cross!"

"I..." Seongwu started but was interrupted by another ringtone from his phone. "I'm sorry noona, someone else is video calling me. I'll talk to you some other time?"

"Hmmm... Sounds very important. Must be Daniel then."

"It's not Daniel."

"For an aspiring actor, you are a terrible liar. Do tell me all the dirty details when you finally screw up your courage okay? Love you, bye!"

At times, dealing with his sister is like trying to wrestle a hurricane and squeeze it into a square inch box; which is exhausting and impossible.

Seongwu rubbed his temples tiredly, finally answering the video call. "Hello?"

Of course it was Daniel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Seongwu's powers are not just confined to seeing people's death by touch, Minhyun should be less nosy, and Wanna One's company sucks. Not in that order.

Sometimes, Seongwu doesn't know if he should be impressed or irritated with their production company.

It was not a requirement to fill in the details of their bloodline powers in their profile or contract if they have them so more often than not, Seongwu would opt to not disclose anything about his own powers since most people find it either disturbing or downright creepy.

After all, there is a reason why the Ongs are rare in Korea and Seongwu understood that. He is even proud to be called an Ong. However, this is certainly one of the rare instances where he sincerely regretted being born into his family. And he blames it wholly onto their dastardly company.

Of all the deserted places in the whole of South Korea, why does the production team love to choose locations that are haunted to shoot their music videos?

Well, to be fair, almost everywhere in the world would have a lost soul or two hanging around but this place definitely took the cake.

"Surely this must be their company's collective gift: making people feel awed at their seemingly unintentional stupidity." Seongwu thought to himself uncharitably.

He can feel a headache steadily building at the back of his eyes as he tried to focus on what the director was instructing them to do. They haven't even started filming and the chattering is driving him to distraction.

"Oppa! Oppa! Come and play with us!"

"Oppa! Don't ignore me, oppa!"

"Everyone is so handsome, I want to tease all of them!"

"Their visuals are out of this world!"

"Do you think I can make this one stay with me forever?"

Now, that sounded a tad ominous. Seongwu subtly turned and eyed the source of voices just to see one of the lighting equipment crash onto the ground. One of the girls giggled and clapped in delight at the flustered look of the assistant director.

"Be careful with the equipment! We need them for filming today." the director barked at the assistant director, oblivious to the true culprit laughing at the side of the broken lighting.

Unfortunately, the director's anger started a chain of reaction from the rest as they began toppling expensive equipments one after another to gain attention while the filming staff tried futilely to rescue the falling objects.

It was a total mess.

***

The members of Wanna One were sent to the temporary dressing room to wait while everything was sorted out.

"This isn't normal, is it?" Daehwi voiced out worriedly.

"Well, I heard that this place is haunted," Sungwoon started. "A fire broke out around a few years ago and killed many people. Since then, there are unexplainable things that occur here like doors slamming shut and objects toppling over when there are no one around.

Besides that, rumours tell of mysterious disappearances that occurred in this area as well. Three years ago, a group of students came here to explore as a dare. Eleven of them went into this building but in the end, only ten got out. The eleventh person was never found."

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the usually rambunctious group.

"Sungwoon hyung, please don't joke. This isn't funny," Jinyoung whined, inching closer towards Daehwi.

"These are just stories. I am sure it is fine. The production team wouldn't do something as silly as risking everyone's lives to get a good atmosphere for shoots." Jisung smiled reassuringly, diffusing the tense atmosphere.

"Lets just take this as a blessing to rest a bit before work starts up again," he continued.

Everyone cheered, relieved and separated to different parts of the room to relax.

"So, is the story that Sungwoon hyung told true?" Minhyun whispered, gently tapping Seongwu's hand to draw his attention but Seongwu childishly swatted his hand away.

"Aish. Stop reading my mind Hwang Minhyun. Why are you so rude."

"Unless you want everyone to listen in to our conversation, you'd better just bear with it," Minhyun replied cheekily, linked their hands together pulling him in and leaning his head onto Seongwu's shoulder.  
  
The benefit of having a touch telepath as a friend is that you never have to explain anything to them, because they will understand you with only a touch.

The downside is, they will know everything and most of them are nosy buggers; Minhyun is no exception.

Seongwu never had any intention of telling anyone about his powers, not even his closest friends. He made that mistake once and he is not keen for a repeat. People who knew about the full extent of what he can do either found out by accident or informed due to necessity. Minhyun was the former and one of the precious few who did not run to the hills when they found out.

 _"The story. Is it true?"_ Minhyun repeated, projecting his thoughts directly into Seongwu's mind.

Seongwu mentally sighed. _"Yes and no."_

_"Elaborate."_

_"There are at least seven spirits lingering here; that's the truth. Five of them were wrecking havoc out there. They wanted us to notice them. One is hanging around here watching us get our makeup done since we arrived. She is still in this room and seems to have taken quite a shine to Jjaenie. Another just joined us when Sungwoon hyung was telling the ghost story. She looked extremely amused by it all."_

_"What? Jaehwanie?"_ Minhyun moved as if to get up from his sitting position.

Seongwu gripped Minhyun's hand hard, halting his movement. _"Calm down. She is just a child, roughly six or seven years old. She seems to be drawn to his singing. I don't think she will harm Jjaenie."_

Minhyun nodded stiffly, clearly unsettled. _"Wait till one of them start following Daniel around. Then we'll see if you can 'calm down'."_

Seongwu snickered, ignoring Minhyun's sullen pout while he pretended to scroll through the twitter app in his phone. _"Do you want me to continue or not?"_

_"Of course."_

_"The thing is, they didn't die in a fire. At least, I don't think so because all of them had their necks slit open from side to side with stale blood drenching their clothes. No burns or singed marks in sight. It is odd."_

_"You want to know what is odd? It is weird that you could send me so many horrific graphic images without batting an eyelash. Please, do warn me next time."_ Minhyun choked.

 _"Weak. Oh, jealous boyfriend incoming at 3 o'clock,"_ Seongwu hummed smugly.

"Yah! Ong Seongwu! How many times must I tell you to get your own man," Jaehwan strode over, plopped onto Minhyun's lap and playfully stuck his tongue out at the other raven haired man.

"Another rude kid. You deserve each other," Seongwu ruffled the main vocalist's hair in retaliation.

"Hyung! Not the hair!"

Minhyun chuckled and dutifully helped his lover rearrange his hair lest they face the wrath of their stylist noona.

"Ah.. Although Minhyunie is like honey, these much sweetness between both of you will make my teeth rot," Seongwu teased, shaking his head fondly.

"I'm going to go stretch my legs a bit. Call me when we are ready to shoot?" he continued and with a last pat on Minhyun's hand sent a voiceless _"Cover for me."_

Both Minhyun and Jaehwan nodded in assent and with a jaunty wave, Seongwu left.

He had walked a mere ten steps from their dressing room when the ambient temperature around him suddenly dropped.

A pale hand reached for his shoulder and a reedy voice called out to him.

"Ong Seongwu-ssi.... Ong Seongwu-ssi. You can really see us, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Seongwu had an unpleasant surprise, decides that he stil hates their production company and Daniel finally appears to have some meaningful interaction with Seongwu. Yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some graphic description of violence. All situation described are absolutely fictional with no correlation to real life events.
> 
> p/s: Ong and Daniel may be out of character... Sorry... T^T

Seongwu shifted slightly to avoid the hand from touching him but he was too slow.

"Shit! Not here!" were his last thoughts before the slight cool contact had inevitably dragged him spiralling down into memories not his own.

_It was dark and damp. He felt lethargic and disorientated like his head was filled with cotton wool and his body was weighed down by a tonne of rocks._

_"Where am I?" He tried to move from his lying position on the floor but everything was sluggish. Seongwu lifted his hands from the wet ground with the intention to rub the tiredness from his eyes but froze when the stench hit his nose._

_There is no mistaking it. It's blood. A lot of blood._

_The icy grip of fear seized his heart as his eyes widened in horror. Seongwu started trembling uncontrollably. This can't be happening._

_"No... No... Please... No..." He gasped weakly._

_The door at the far end of the room slammed open. Two burly men in traditional priest robes walked in and grabbed his arms roughly on each side. He tried to struggle against their hold but he was unable to move even an inch._

_They hauled him down a maze of corridors but he was absolutely powerless. It was like he was in a dream as he gazed at the passing shadows dancing sinisterly on the walls in a daze._

_"Where are you bringing me? Where?" he breathed._

_Their pace quickened as they neared a small door fitted with bars. Seongwu could hear chanting and screaming from behind the door._

_The door swung open and he could see a small altar with a grotesque wooden effigy mounted on it grinning evily at him._

_But more than that, what drew his attention was the floor beneath the altar. Like Rothko gone wrong, the ground was painted haphazardly with rivulets of blood upon more blood._

_Littered at the corner of the room were bodies of other girls of varying ages, thrown carelessly like broken ragdolls._

_Realisation dawned._

_"No! No.... Let me go! Help! Please! Help!" He screamed but he couldn't hear himself amidst the rising crescendo of frenzied chants._  

_He struggled futilely against his captors but his body refuse to obey his commands._

_Tears fell unbidden from his eyes as he watched the knife move close; closer and closer until he could feel the cold unforgiving blade bite into the soft flesh of his neck._

_A foul breath breathed hot near his ear causing the small hairs behind his neck to raise in terror._

_"You're mine now."_

"Hyung! Seongwu hyung! Seongwu, get a grip. Come on, please!" A stinging slap across his face broke Seongwu out of the memories' hold abruptly.

He found himself on the floor, held securely by a pair of strong arms. His eyes were immediately drawn towards the worried face of the owner of the characteristic broad chest and he sighed in relief.

"Nielie."

The calm lasted for but a moment before Seongwu realised the condition of which Daniel must have found him in; catatonic as his mind was trapped in the memory transference. This is the absolute worst case scenario.

He startled when he felt a gentle finger brush; feather-like on his cheeks.

"You're crying, hyung. Did it hurt? I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I'm sorry. I just panicked," Daniel apologised sheepishly, his expressive eyes brimming  with pent up worry.

"No, no. I'm fine Nielie. Thanks for 'waking' me up. You did good." Seongwu sniffled. "Ah, this is embarrassing. Why can't I stop crying."

"Ong-baby. Ong-baby, why are you crying? Don't cry anymore okay?" the samoyed-like man teased, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere while poking playfully at Seongwu's cheeks.

"Aish. You are going to make me cry even more, you big puppy," he swatted Daniel's hands away, laughing.

It is a wonder how Daniel could so easily lift his mood, just like a happy pill specifically made for him. Or maybe that is just the lovestruck part of him talking; please ignore it.

Seongwu's eyes flitted between the female spectre still standing behind Daniel and the evident concern and questions reflected in the light haired man's eyes.

He sobered immediately and sighed. It feels as if sighing is the only thing he has been doing nowadays and it is disheartening. He is Wanna One's resident mood maker for god's sakes.

This is why he hates their company for landing him unknowingly into this mess and probably endangering everyone involved.

"Seems like things are getting quite complicated. I guess I can explain?"

***

"Okay. Why are we hiding out here in this bathroom? It is creepy here, hyung." Daniel whined staring suspiciously at the broken stalls and that weird stain decorating the corner of one of the rusted sinks.

"Because I would rather just keep this between the two of us. I don't want to worry Jisung hyung and the others. More importantly, did you understand what I said?" Seongwu wrung his fingers nervously.

He had just told Daniel about the gist of his bloodline powers but omiting some facts about what else he could do and he was extremely anxious regarding how Daniel would react. Minhyun was the exception and Seongwu hoped that Daniel would be as well. But hope is scarce nowadays. Contrary to popular opinion, Seongwu isn't stupid; he is a realist.

"Oh my god! The stain just moved. Is it a cockroach?!" the blonde haired man moved and latched himself onto Seongwu's arm in genuine fright.

Let it be known that Seongwu loves Daniel; he really, really do. There is not much in this world that could make him angry at the man even though he tests his patience countless times in the past and present future.

Call him whipped but frankly, who wouldn't be for the sweet, gentle man? He removed his shoe and nonchalantly whacked it onto said dark stain that Daniel has been looking surreptitiously for the past 15 minutes. The old sink tilted dangerously to the side, a mere casualty of Seongwu's dwindling sanity.

Huh, it was indeed a cockroach.

"Seongwu hyung, thank you."

"It's nothing," the slimmer man muttered slipping on his cockroach stained shoe. Yuck.

"No, hyung. You misunderstood. Thank you for trusting me enough to share with me regarding your powers."

Seongwu's eyes widened in surprise as Daniel's deep serious gaze pierced to the heart of his insecurities. Trust Daniel to always know what to say to put him at ease.

Despite his cheerful demeanour, Daniel is certainly more perceptive than most people and when Seongwu thought he had seen it all, Daniel continue to strive to prove him wrong.

"I know you don't like talking about it and actively avoid mentioning it. But I think it is cool that you are able to see and interact with ghosts. Is it a family thing?" Daniel asked casually.

"Yes. All of us can except for my mother. Since she was not born an Ong."

"Wow. Amazing. And you help the dead move on?" Daniel's face broke into a huge smile, his bunny teeth peeking out in excitement.

"Well, I 'd say that 99% of the dead move on by themselves. All of us, whether dead or alive carry our own soul light. When we die, our soul light will guide us to the land of the dead.

However, people who died in an unexpected horrifying manner or children who are too young to understand death tend to lose their light and are unable move on, resulting them to be stuck as ghosts in this plane of existence.

My family has the ability to share a part of our soul light to guide these lost souls when they touch us or vice versa. The only side effect to this is memory transference," Seongwu explained at length.

Daniel cocked his head to the side, expression crestfallen. "Was that what happened to you when I found you collapsed, staring blankly at nothing?"

Seongwu shrugged. "Some memories are far less pleasant than most. We either get memories of the person's last moments or of something happy in their lives. It is not all that bad. Just random and unpredictable."

"In return, they are able to get a part of your soul light and help them travel to the land of the dead?"

"Yes. Usually."

"What do you mean by 'usually'. Seongwu hyung, don't tell me..." Daniel trailed off uncertainly in half trepidation.

Seongwu bit his lips into his characteristic 'W' shape as he looked perplexed at the very same female ghost who had so far kept her silence throughout his mortifying meltdown.

"She's still here. With us."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the mystery unravels.... Maybe? And Jaehwan begins to suspect that their production company is perhaps really stupid.

"Don't worry. She won't hurt us. Right, Miss...?" Seongwu reassured Daniel, turning to address the pale spectre.

"Park Miyeon. My name is Park Miyeon. Please Ong Seongwu-ssi, I won't harm you or any of your friends. I just want to go home."

"Then why didn't you?" the raven haired man asked, puzzled.

Miyeon looked away with her eyes scanning left and right nervously. "You should know why. You saw... You saw him." she leaned forward, speaking lowly.

"What's going on, Seongwu hyung?" Daniel asked, lightly tugging onto Seongwu's sleeve but jumped slightly at the sudden rattling sounds of the creaky pipes in one of the toilet stalls.

"Miyeon, the ghost said that she can't move on to the land of the dead. Because she was murdered? " Seongwu trailed.

"No it can't be right. Murder victims usually have no problems in moving on with my soul light. Is it because you were sacrificed in a ritual?" Seongwu shuddered, recalling the grosteque effigy he saw in the girl's memory.

A flash of fear flitted across Miyeon's bloodless face before she avoided Seongwu's stare uneasily. "I had hoped that you could help us. But it seems that even an Ong is powerless against him. His hold on us is too tight."

Miyeon wrung her skirt between her hands. Seongwu noticed that her gaze kept darting back and forth anxiously as if she was deathly (pun not intended) afraid of something lurking behind them.

"Who is he? You kept mentioning him but who exactly is he?"

"I cannot say. I cannot say."

"Can't or won't? Miyeon-ssi, I can't help if you won't tell me what is going on," Seongwu reached and stilled her frantic hand movements comfortingly. It will not do anyone good if she panicked.

Miyeon squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Seongwu could feel the fine tremors running from her spine to her hands and he rubbed them in a reassuring manner.  "You are not meant to remain here. Or you will lose yourself before long. Please allow me to help you."

After a beat or two, Miyeon finally whispered shakily, "He who Walks behind the Shadows."

"He who Walks behind the Shadows? What?" The raven haired man scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"Not so loud! He will hear!" Miyeon hushed and clamped Seongwu's mouth shut with her petite hands but it was too late.

The occasional rattling sound of pipes that permeated the washroom grew in crescendo until the rhythmic 'tap, tap, tap, tap' became so deafening that the line of mirrors began vibrating; adding to the chaos. The overhead lights too flickered forbiddingly, casting long and creeping shadows against the walls.

Seongwu stood frozen while Daniel's face paled and pinched with fear.

"Hyung, I thought you said she won't hurt us?"

"This isn't her. They don't have such powers." Seongwu stammered. He turned around to find the source but to no avail.

However, as sudden as the rattling started it cut off abruptly, plunging the room into unnatural silence and false calm.

"He's here." Miyeon keened; shaking like a stray leaf in the wind.

"Seongwu hyung!" Daniel exclaimed and instinctively pulled the smaller man into a protective hug with his left arm.

Seongwu's heart thumped wildly in his chest, fluttering like a bird in a cage; surprised yet pleased to be held in Daniel's warm embrace for once, without the side effects of his visions.

His hands reached reflexively and encircled Daniel's waist. _"Get a grip Ong Seongwu. Now is not the time or place to get star struck. Focus!"_ he mentally admonished himself.

Although in the secret recesses of his mind, he would admit that his lithe body definitely fit well against Daniel's larger and more muscular frame.

"What..." Seongwu trailed off, his breath stirring the fine hairs of Daniel's neck as he took in Daniel's tense profile.

He watched the broad shouldered man grit his teeth in determination and raise his right hand in a sweeping motion from the floor to over their heads.

The moisture in the air around them immediately crystalised into a solid ice barrier. Barely just in time as well when the mirrors exploded outwards, raining sharp debris against their temporary shield.

Through the distorted reflection of the barrier, Seongwu could see Miyeon cowering and retreating away from the shadows sinisterly coalescing and increasing in size behind her.

"Run, Ong Seongwu-ssi. Run!" she croaked hoarsely.

 

***

Jaehwan hummed softly to the music filtering through his airpods, trying futilely to keep calm. There was a persistant background feeling that something is off niggling at the back of his mind ever since he stepped into the filming site but he couldn't quite put a finger to it. It was frustrating to say the least.

"You're all jittery today, Jaehwanie. What's wrong?" Minyhun tightened his hold around his lover, pulling him flush against his body as they lounged on the floor at the corner of the room and effectively stilling Jaehwan's restless legs.

Jaehwan bit his lip uncertainly. "I'm not sure. I can't really explain it but something about this place feels wrong? And it is seriously bugging me because I can't figure it out."

"Is this because of the ghost story Sungwoon hyung told?" Minhyun asked, but recalled the child spirit Seongwu mentioned who was tailing his lover around the whole day like a lost puppy.

Jaehwan laughed. "I'm not worried about ghosts, Minhyunie hyung. At least they were once human. Besides that, I can't sense ghosts anyway. Therefore, they don't scare me at all."

"Well, you are not truly jealous regarding Seongwu are you?"

Jaehwan mock pouted and crossed his arms, "Obviously, in the face of the 4th Visual Revolution, how could I, who is merely the main visual of Wanna One compare? If I was Minhyunie hyung I would definitely choose Seongwu hyung."

"Aaah... That's true. I must be blind. Why on earth did I choose you, who often added the whites in my hair with your bad habits?" Minhyun jabbed, chuckling and pinched Jaehwan's puffed out mandu cheeks playfully with both of his hands.

"Yah... Hwang Minhyun! It gives you a very good reason to dye your hair more often. I am doing public service for your fans here. You, more than anyone should appreciate my hard work!" Jaehwan retaliated, flicking Minhyun's wrists in a poor attempt to make the other man release his cheeks.

Instead, Minhyun flattened his palms against Jaehwan's face and gently drew him closer until their lips were almost brushing. He gazed into his eyes as he leaned their foreheads together and mumbled tenderly, "I love you. Very very much. You know that, right?"

"Hmm... I don't know. Remind me?" Jaehwan murmured coyly, each word a teasing breath dancing against Minhyun's lips.

Without missing a beat, Minhyun closed the gap and captured the vocalist's lips in a heated kiss. For a blissful moment, Jaehwan forgot about the unnamed anxiety that dogged him all day as he lose himself in their shared affection.

However, they were rudely interrupted by bits of what looked like balls of tissue hitting the back of their heads. "Please keep it PG lovebirds. We have children here," Sungwoon crowed while he continue to pelt the two younger men with tissues.

"This child is actually enjoying the show," Daehwi replied mischievously, munching on a biscuit.

Jinyoung who was sitting next to him elbowed him hard and scoffed. "Behave."

Sungwoon rolled his eyes good naturedly in an exaggerated manner and laughed. "At least have some mercy on us pitiful single ladies. I am not keen on using bleach to cleanse my eyes."

"Admit it Sungwoon hyung. You are envious that I get this all to myself," Minhyun stuck out his tongue and gestured to Jaehwan.

"Jaehwan? Be my guest. You can have him all you want. Seriously, that comeback is absolutely weak, man." Sungwoon shook his head as the other members joined in laughter. 

"Hey! What does that even..." Jaehwan started but choked when he felt a wave of dark energy surged through the vicinity, catching him completely off guard.

He gasped and clutched his chest as if in pain. A horrible thought flash through his mind. _"Oh god. It can't be. The company can't be so stupid to bring us to such a place. Can they?"_

"Jaehwanie?" Minhyun's gentle touch broke him from his reverie.  
  
He looked up and saw Sungwoon's and the two maknaes' worried eyes on him. "Ah, I'm okay! My throat's acting up again," he lied, grinning awkwardly.

"Are you sure? Do you need water or anything?" the older but shorter man asked, brows furrowing in concern.

"Well..." Jaehwan pretended to be in deep thought, tapping a finger to his chin, "I need my boyfriend to kiss it better."

"Sometimes, I don't know why I cared," Sungwoon huffed in resignation, then turned to bother Jisung who was sleeping in another corner of the room. He dragged Daehwi and Jinyoung with him so that they will not be corrupted by the 'horny couple'.

"You do remember that you can't fool me, right?" Minhyun spoke when the rest of the members were out of earshot.

Busted. Again.

Jaehwan sighed. "I think I know what's wrong now. But I need to confirm it first and if needed, I'll deal with it."

"That's really vague."

"Daniel and Seongwu hyung. Are they not back yet?" Jaehwan asked, in part subtly changing the subject, but the larger part of him was worried about his friends.

Then, he clasped his hands together as if in prayer briefly before parting them. Balls of pure light formed, morphed into multiple transparent golden butterflies on his palms and fluttered around him.

Minhyun shook his head. He smiled when one of the butterflies landed on his hand. It tickled a little but as a whole felt very warm and a tad nostalgic, just like Jaehwan.

"You're going to look for them, and crash their 'alone' time aren't you?"

Jaehwan smirked. "Well, I do have a reputation to uphold, Minhyunie hyung."

"You do realise that being called the 'Nation's Third Wheel' isn't exactly flattering."

"Pffft. Nonsense. It used to be OngNielHwan, hyung."

"Until you became mine," Minhyun added nonchalantly, playing with the butterfly in his hands.

"Until I became... Hey! That isn't fair!" The shorter male whined.

Minhyun chuckled and pecked him chastely on his lips, his tone turned serious. "Be careful."

"I promise. Don't leave this room and by any means neccessary, keep everyone in here until I give the all clear," Jaehwan warned before leaving with only a golden butterfly trailing after him while the rest remain within their waiting room.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the root cause of the mystery is revealed, things get more hairy (figuratively) and Jaehwan concludes that their production company are utter imbeciles that are beyond help.

Jaehwan heaved a deep breath as he stepped into the dimly lit hallway. He shivered involuntarily. The air definitely felt much heavier than before, suffused with a malevolent energy that seems to crackle like static electricity against his skin.

This does not bode well for any of them. No wonder his senses have been tingling ever since they arrived to the filming site. He fervently hoped that Daniel and Seongwu would be safe and not get caught up with the source of the dark force.

Cautiously, he followed the train of residual energy to an abandoned toilet at the end of the hallway. The door creaked as it swung open.

Nausea rose in an alarming wave as Jaehwan was hit by the unmistakable scent of rotten eggs mixed with stale blood. His hands flew immediately to cover his nose and mouth as he swallowed down the urge to vomit.

He slammed the door shut and leaned against it heavily. Taking deep slow breaths via his mouth, Jaehwan fought the impulse to cuss out loud. There is no mistaking what or rather who this is.

_Demons._

Or at least a demon. He would have recognised their presence instantly had there been more than one in his vicinity.

Their company frankly deserves a grade 'A' for all round arseholery and gross negligence.

_How, in the name of all things good and pure could they have chosen this place for their shoot, endangering everyone? Didn't anyone researched about this location beforehand?_

Jaehwan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It would have been more shocking if he hadn't suspected that their company was stupid. But this? This took plain idiocy and elevated it to a whole new level.

Steeling himself, he strode into the toilet to search for more clues. It was apparent that the demonic entity was no longer there. Otherwise, Jaehwan would have been sliced and served like a luxurious sashimi buffet.

After all, they are not bitter enemies for nothing.

His eyes scanned the room in a clinical fashion but his blood froze in his veins, figuratively when he spotted the half melted ice column sticking like a sore thumb amidst the mess of shattered mirrors and broken stalls.

"Daniel," he exhaled shakily.

Jaehwan shook in disbelief as he approached the fozen structure. If Daniel was here then most probably Seongwu was involved and in grave danger.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

The golden butterly that has been tailing him flapped its delicate wings frantically, mirroring Jaehwan's inner panic as worst case scenarios played like a broken film reel in his mind.

It didn't help matters at all when he spotted drops of fresh blood staining the filthy floor a foot from the ice column trailing to the exit in a dark parody of the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel. Only there is no witch, but a demon to contend with.

One, if not both of them were injured.

"Okay. Okay... Pull yourself together, Kim Jaehwan. Your friends need you now more than ever." Jaehwan squeezed his eyes shut and slapped his cheeks with both of his hands.

The mantle of his family's responsibility have never felt so cumbersome upon his shoulders when the lives of the people he care for is at stake. But, he can do this.

He must.

Jaehwan's gaze sharpened in resolve. He bit the soft flesh of his left index finger hard till he drew blood and with it, he sketched an intricate sigil onto his right palm.

The sigil flared a bright gold momentarily. When the light died down, in its place were a pair of twin daggers with unadorned hilts but decorated with runes carved deep into the blades in a language not known to mankind.

Jaehwan smiled and flipped the daggers expertly in his hands. The familiar weight of his weapons of choice had somewhat calmed him down.

"Grandfather, please grant me your protection," he murmured softly, kissing the hilt of his daggers in benediction before tucking them in his belt.

He had a demon to hunt.

 

***

Seongwu's heart pounded in time with his feet hitting the floorboards. He had lost count of the number of corridors they ran through.

They have to escape. Whatever that was pursuing them is without a doubt, malicious and bent on killing them.

"Hyung, is it still chasing us?" Daniel panted with his eyes forward, gripping Seongwu's hand firmly in his while navigating them through the maze of hallways and stairs.

Seongwu turned to look behind them fleetingly.

The looming shadow continued to grow in size. A large tendril broke from the black mass and slammed against the line of windows.

"Duck!" Seongwu yelled as the windows shattered into a million pieces of glass and wooden splinters.

"Guess that answered my question," Daniel chuckled wryly, tugging Seongwu to round a corner and up another flight of stairs. They successfully gained some distance from the dark creature.

_Damn, this abandoned school is huge._

Seongwu's hand felt slick in Daniel's hold. The constant drip drip of blood flowing from the gash on the younger man's arm to their intertwined fingers kept distracting him. If only Seongwu had been quicker; had moved a split second faster, Daniel wouldn't have been hurt.

He recalled Miyeon shouting for them to run from the toilet but he was too preoccupied with staring at the enlarging shadow that he just stood there; like a complete idiot.

The amorphous mass then lashed out without warning and Daniel reacted by shielding him with his body; hence sustaining a laceration wound on his arm for his efforts. They wasted no time in taking off from the destroyed bathroom after that.

"Stop thinking so much, Hyung. It's just a scratch. I'm fine."

Seongwu looked away guiltily. "How did you know I am worried?"

"I don't. But I do, now," Daniel grinned cheekily. "Plus the furrow between your eyebrows and cute troubled look you had on your face gave it away."

"Cute? I am not cute!" Seongwu sputtered in mock outrage to cover his embarrassment of being read like an open book.

"I'll show you cute!" he continued, pinching the man who was often compared to a samoyed puppy, on his uninjured arm.

"Ouch, hyung! That's abuse!" Daniel giggled lightheartedly, in contrast to their dire situation. "Any idea what the hell is that thing?"

"No. I have never encountered anything like this," Seongwu shook his head, almost getting a whiplash with the sudden change in topic. "We need to come up with a plan. At this rate, we'll run out of places to; uh, run."

"Any ideas? The shadow thing looks pretty solid enough to be able to slice and smash into things, destroying them. Yet formless at the same time, that my ice attacks are ineffective against it."

Seongwu was thoughtful as he considered their options but ultimately came up with nothing. "We're screwed. Really screwed. I'm sorry Nielie, I shouldn't have gotten you involved."

"You can't make me do anything I didn't want to, hyung. You know how stubborn I am," Daniel reassured, smiling fondly.

The two men skidded to a stop at the end of the hallway as they met a dead end. To the right of them was a four storey drop from the windows and the left, an empty classroom which had seen better days.

"It seems that your statement became true, hyung. On the bright side, at least we'll die together."

"Not that it isn't romantic but should I be grateful that you didn't re-enact the 'You jump, I jump' scene from Titanic?" Seongwu rolled his eyes affectionately and cocked his head towards the row of windows.

Daniel laughed. They agreed wordlessly and retreated into the deserted classroom as a last resort. "Very funny, hyung. Why do you always make me laugh at inappropriate moments?"

"Because you're not going to die here. I won't allow it to happen," Seongwu promised solemnly.

His hand reached to caress the younger man's face. However, he thought better of it and aborted his movement in cowardice.

Daniel caught his withdrawing hand and laced their fingers together, placing an almost tender kiss on the back of his hand. Then, the taller man stepped forward, closing the distance between them till they were aligned; chest to chest and hip to hip. Seongwu's breath hitched at their dangerously close proximity.

"Daniel? What are you..." the elder man asked, shocked at Daniel's forwardness before his chin was tipped upwards and his words were swallowed by a brutally desperate kiss.

Seongwu's eyes widened at the slide of chapped lips against his and gasped when he was backed against a row of broken chairs at the end of the classroom. Daniel took advantage of the situation without hesitation, drove his tongue through Seongwu's parted lips, plundering his mouth agressively while Seongwu clung to him helplessly, swept by a whirlwind of confused emotions.

This was extremely uncharacteristic of Daniel. It may be true that they were in a life or death situation and sometimes, stressful conditions can result in extreme reactions.

Nevertheless, his gut feeling indicated that something about this is wrong and Seongwu is not a person who willfully ignores his intuitions; amazing hot kiss from Daniel notwithstanding.

 _Wait._ _How did Daniel know that his ice powers have no effect on the shadow being? He had never attacked the shadow directly at any point in the bathroom or when they were on the run. Merely created the ice shield to protect them from being impaled by the shattered mirrors._

Realisation hit Seongwu like a freight train. He pushed Daniel from him, roughly breaking the kiss. Not expecting the movement, the broad shouldered man lost his balance and fell sitting with his legs splayed open.

"Where and what have you done with Daniel?" Seongwu demanded, wiping his lips brusquely.

"I don't understand, hyung. I am Daniel?" replied said man with a wounded expression.

"Cut the bullshit. Did you think I wouldn't be familiar with possessions?"

The blonde dusted himself, stood up and smirked. His shadow rippled menacingly. "Aaah... I am astonished that you saw through me. My acting was flawless."

"Flawless? What a joke. One, Daniel wouldn't have kissed me. We aren't lovers. And two, you misspoke and gave yourself away."

"Tsk. Tsk. I must have misread the sexual tension. Seems that you are not just a pretty face. What a pity. I really shouldn't have underestimated a child of Death," the Not Daniel leered.

"Where. Is. Daniel?" Seongwu gritted out.

"Right here, of course," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "You know, initially, I didn't plan on possessing him. My target was you. But he had to interfere and now I don't think I am going to leave this body. He is extremely sexy; exactly my type," the demon wearing Daniel's face grinned while his tongue darted out and licked Daniel's bleeding arm lasciviously.

Seongwu reeled back in alarm. "The wound. That was the catalyst." Discreetly, he blindly grasped for a chair behind him to use as a weapon.

"Bingo. What a clever boy." the demon snickered, clapping his hands in delight. "I changed my mind. Guess I do want you after all."

Without a second thought, Seongwu hurled the chair at the possessed Daniel as a distraction and made a break for the exit. He need to regroup and get help.

He was nearing the doorway when a tendril of shadow snaked around his ankle and he was yanked backwards. Seongwu tripped gracelessly, scraping his knees.

He scrambled to his feet but the shadow slithered upwards, wrapped around Seongwu's vulnerable neck and lifted him an inch above the floor.

"Did you think you can escape me?"

Seongwu choked as the shadow squeezed mercilessly. His fingers automatically went to his neck, scrabbling futilely against invisible hands.

"You know, your Daniel is extremely angry and upset with me. He is struggling so so hard to break my hold because he wants to save you. Well, isn't he sweet," the demon jeered.

"Nielie... Please... I... I... Lo..." Seongwu wheezed, his legs kicking air. Whatever it took, he had to try to get to Daniel.

"Shut up!"

The grip tightened around his neck, cutting off further air supply. Seongwu began to feel dizzy, punch drunk from the lack of oxygen. His hands slackened and feet dangled uselessly, barely touching the floor. Black spots danced in front of his eyes obscuring Daniel's face from view.

_Nielie... Please...._

Darkness crept in as he stood at the edge of the precipice of conciousness. Right before he tipped over into oblivion, a flash of gold flitted past his peripheral vision.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought the mini arc could be concluded in this chapter but apparently I was wrong.... Imma go run and hide now....


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the problem is resolved, some action is had and Jisung is not impressed.
> 
> p/s: And Jaehwan is secretly afraid of their stylist but it isn't anything new.

A piercing cry rent the air and Seongwu was dropped unceremoniously like a sack of potatoes onto the ground. He coughed and coughed, greedily taking in lungfuls of precious oxygen.

Through his watery eyes he saw a kaleidoscope of transparent golden butterflies attacking the possessed Daniel.

Each touch of the butterflies appeared to burn and sear Daniel's skin as he bent over, screaming and tried to shake them off.

Curiously, it left no visible injuries. Instead, wisps of black smoke rose from Daniel's back recoiling from the insects and merged with the fleeing shadow on the wall behind the man.

Almost at once, a dagger whistled through the air and impaled the shadow, dead centre. The dark mass screeched in agony and writhed, before finally consolidating into a solid humanoid form with coal black eyes, beaklike nose, an unhinged jaw with razor sharp teeth and clawed hands.

"Angel born." the demon hissed menacingly. His hand sizzled and blistered when he pulled the dagger embeded in his shoulder and flung it away like a poisoned snake.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual. I'm not exactly jumping for joy to see your kind either."

Seongwu's head whipped around to face the owner of the familiar dulcet tones.

"Jjaenie? How..."

Jaehwan stepped in front of Seongwu, taking up a defensive position and unsheathed his other dagger.

"No time to explain. Long story short, I had Daniel cleansed from that demon's influence with my holy fire. So, he is fine. Now, get him and yourself out of here, hyung. I will deal with this creature," the shorter man gestured to Daniel lying motionless in a dead faint a couple of feet from them.

"I'm not going to leave you alone with this... this thing! Minhyun will never forgive me if anything happened to you," Seongwu exclaimed; appalled, scampering to Daniel's side to check on his condition.

"Don't play the 'Minhyun' card against me. It isn't fair! Just.. Just do as I say! Go!" Jaehwan shouted back. He leapt to the side and narrowly avoided being struck by a tendril of shadow.

"Like you have any room to complain about fairness. You always cheat!" Seongwu retorted.

"In games! I only cheat in games. This is emotional bribery!" Jaehwan lifted his left hand in an arc and directed his butterflies towards the demon as counterattack.

The hell spawn roared, infuriated as the holy fire and shadow tendrils mutually destructed upon contact causing a mini explosion that threw both opponents backwards against the walls.

Jaehwan recovered swiftly. Spying his abandoned dagger, he scooped it up and deftly flicked it towards the demon. His aim was true and the dagger pierced it's target's shoulder.

Without wasting a moment, Jaehwan charged forward and slashed with the remaining dagger in his right hand while simultaneously, using his left hand he yanked the lodged twin dagger viciously from the fiend's body.

Black ichor spilled copiusly from the demon's wounds, enraging it further. It attacked the vocalist with it's claws and Jaehwan allowed his instincts to take over as he fell into the practiced rhythm of dodge, parry, block, thrust and slash. 

Seongwu watched the one on one combat in awe.

Who would have known that Jaehwan could actually fight? His movements were economical yet fluidly graceful compared to the ungainly and disorganised strikes of the demon. Anyone could see that Jaehwan had the upper hand.

Seongwu made a mental note to never piss Jaehwan off.

A golden butterfly brushed its wings against Seongwu's face catching and drawing his attention to more pressing matters at hand.

Right. He had to get Daniel as far away from here as possible then figure a way to help Jaehwan. Problem was, the larger man was still unconcious.

"Nielie-ah, why is your body build so big? Aah... Why are you so big?"

Seongwu slung one of Daniel's arm over his shoulder and wrapped his own arm around the younger's waist and lifted.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated the weight distribution and toppled over as soon as he stood up, sending both of them crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Ouch..." Seongwu rubbed the back of his head mournfully before realising the compromising position between him and Daniel. "Aah... I'm sorry. So sorry, Nielie," he apologised profusely to the knocked out man and laboriously flipped him over.

He need to reconsider renewing his gym membership and cutting down all the late night jokbal. Jaehwan's butterfly circled Seongwu's head, it's wings quivering as if it was laughing at his predicament. How typical of Jaehwan.

Huffing lightly he glanced at the ongoing fight. His eyes widened when his eyes caught a shadow tendril sneakily reaching for a chair beyond Jaehwan's blind spot.

"Jaehwan! Look out!"

Seongwu's warning came a second too late. The shadow flung the chair, impacting Jaehwan's side. The man was barely able to protect his head as he hit the ground hard, his daggers skittering out of reach.

Taking advantage of the opening, the demon pounced, claws extended triumphantly and struck. Jaehwan raised his arm reflexively to block the attack to his jugular. He bit back a scream when its claws punctured skin.

Seongwu panicked, and without much thought rushed to Jaehwan's aid. Picking up the fallen dagger nearest to him, he impulsively stabbed the creature's back.

The demon howled and swiped at Seongwu, sending him flying a couple of feet away. The black haired man curled himself and braced for the impact onto the stony floor, but it never came.

Instead, a pair of strong arms enveloped him securely from behind and cushioned his fall with their warm body.

"You should be more careful, Seongwu hyung. What am I to do if you get hurt?" The owner of the deep voice gingerly caressed the blooming bruises on Seongwu's neck.

"Daniel! You're back." The older man exclaimed, relieved as his eyes seeked Daniel's in confirmation.

"Yes, hyung-ah. It is really me this time. That fall jolted me awake," Daniel smiled toothily back in reassurance, his fingers trailing up Seongwu's neck before cupping the back of his head.

Seongwu flinched when Daniel's fingers unknowingly bumped against the lump he aquired when they tipped over earlier.

Daniel's face visibly fell.

"Excuse me! Less flirting and more help here!" Jaehwan yelled, breaking the quiet moment between the two men abruptly. He then rolled nimbly from beneath the demonic creature to avoid another strike.

Daniel and Seongwu broke apart awkwardly.

"Now he ask for help. What happened to 'take Daniel and quickly escape, hyung'?" Seongwu grumbled good naturedly yet slightly miffed.  
  
"That's because you are severely lacking in the firepower and the physical department, hyung," Daniel teased, patting Seongwu's forehead lightly.

"Kang Daniel. Are you implying that I am but a damsel in distress? Let me get this straight..."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Both of you! Honestly, seriously, frankly, there is time and place! Time and place! What does a man need to do to get some help here?"

Jaehwan clutched his bleeding arm and ducked from a blow aimed at his head. He spotted his other dagger lying a few feet from him and he made a break for it.  
His butterflies kept the shadows at bay while the demon pursued him.

"Sorry," both of the men echoed, abashed.

The tips of Daniel's ears flushed red as he snapped into attention. Reacting quickly, he stretched out his hand and froze the air around the creature's feet. He effectively halted the demon's movements as ice crept rapidly up from the ground to its feet then legs.

Almost in tandem, Jaehwan grabbed his dagger and plunged it deep; right into the demon's heart. Simultaneously, he rapidly sketched a sigil onto the trashing creature's forehead with his bloodied hand.

"Curse you, Angel born! Curse you! I will remember this and come back for you! Mark my words!"

"Go back to whence you came, Demon. This world isn't for you," Jaehwan replied coldly, unperturbed.

The completed sigil flared and burned as if consuming the screeching demon from inside out until there was nothing left. Jaehwan collapsed to the floor, panting and utterly exhausted as the adrenaline rush subsided.

Seongwu and Daniel approached the tired man warily, looking suspiciously at his wounds.

"What are you doing with that chair, hyung?" Jaehwan raised his eyebrows at Seongwu who was clutching a broken chair like a shield.

"How do we know that you aren't possessed or something?" Seongwu bit back uneasily, his eyes never leaving Jaehwan's bleeding arm.

Jaehwan rolled his eyes. "Please put that chair down before you injure yourself again, Ong hyung. I am naturally immune to possessions since it is literally in our blood to be demon repellants. Otherwise, we'll all be in huge trouble."

Seongwu sighed in relief and abandoned the chair when a transparent golden butterfly flew past him and perched innocently on Jaehwan's arm without any consequence while the rest settled themselves comfortably on either himself or Daniel.

"Eehh... Jaehwanie, please ask your pesky bugs to leave me alone," Daniel recoiled from the insects out of habit.

"Yah, Kang Choding. Stop insulting my babies. They are not 'pesky bugs', okay? They are holy fire created from a part of my soul that happened to take the form of butterflies. Pfft.. This the thanks I get for saving your ass? Such disrespect." Jaehwan reached to punch Daniel's arm but said man giggled and narrowly avoided it by hiding behind Seongwu. 

What ensued was a short game of tag with the older man acting as the unwilling wall between both of the 96 liners.

"Please stop," Seongwu groaned after he became the unintentional casualty of their exchanging hits for the nth time.

After everyone had calmed down considerably, the raven haired man inspected and tended to Daniel and Jaehwan's wounds.

"I'm sorry. I should have reacted faster," Seongwu apologised profusely, staring at the deep gouges in Jaehwan's arm.

"It's not your fault, hyung. I should have been more careful since demons never fight fair. Don't worry, I heal fast! Angelic blood has it perks," Jaehwan laughed as Seongwu tore strips from his shirt to use as makeshift bandages.

"Frankly, I am now more worried about how our stylist noona is going to skewer us when she sees the state of our clothes and hair."

"Chaeyeon noona? She won't. She is too sweet to do that," Seongwu grinned.

"Sweet? That is because you are her favourite! You have not experienced her reign of terror just yet," Jaehwan moaned dramatically.

"You are very unsubtle, Jjaenie-ya." Seongwu huffed. "Fine. Leave the explaining to me then. She will understand."

"Seongwu hyung, you are the best. This is why you are my fifth most beloved person in the world!"

"Jjaenie, you should really quit while you are ahead." Seongwu shook his head fondly and tied off the impromptu bandages around Jaehwan's arm.

"Jokes aside, about that demon... It is dead, right?" Seongwu asked quietly.

"Sadly, no. Only angels like my grandfather can smite and kill demons and vice versa. What I did is to simply banish them back to hell for a couple of centuries. In the meantime, they can't step foot into the human realm."

"It threatened you though. Will you be okay?" Seongwu bit his lips, unsettled.

"Aah, hyung. It's fine. My family, we receive threats like that on a regular basis. That's how the grudges accumulate and the neverending cycle of battles continue. It's an occupational hazard. Like I said, the demon will be confined in hell for a few centuries so we're safe for now," Jaehwan shrugged nonchalantly.

"What is more crucial is that we find the conduit which was used to summon the demon here in the first place and destroy it in order to make it harder to return."

"Conduit? What is that?" Daniel perked up, turning to look at Jaehwan.

"It's an object that is used to anchor the demon here and allows it to freely move between realms."

"How are we supposed to find it? It could be anything, right?" the blonde haired man asked, incredulous.

"I was hoping that you will be able to shed some light on that matter, hyung." Jaehwan nodded at Seongwu knowingly.

"Me? Why would I..." Seongwu trailed but stopped short when he recalled Miyeon's memory of the grisly ritual. Seongwu snapped his fingers in an eureka moment. "Of course! The statue!"

"Do you know where is it?"

"No. But I know someone who does," Seongwu grinned smugly. 

***

They watched in silence as Jaehwan's holy fire razed the grosteque statue to cinders and ashes. Its end was pretty anticlimactic after all the trouble and misery it caused.

"Seongwu-ssi, no words could express how grateful we are to you for helping us. Please convey our thanks to Kim Jaehwan-ssi and Kang Daniel-ssi as well," Miyeon smiled radiantly, bowing deeply in gratitude, as the other spirits present followed her example. Seongwu returned the bow politely. 

Then, one by one the spirits faded, turning into tiny motes of light; like summer fireflies shining bright for a fleeting moment before vanishing from sight.

However, before Miyeon could leave, the youngest spirit who was following Jaehwan around tugged at her skirt, then whispered and pointed shyly at the vocalist's direction.

"If you don't mind Seongwu-ssi, can you please perform one last favour for this little one's sake?"

***

"I can't believe you kissed me! Oh my god! The great Ong Seongwu kissed me. And it was such a wet kiss."

"On the cheek! It was on the cheek! Don't make it sound so lewd, Kim Jaehwan. Technically, it wasn't me. If I had known she would do that, I wouldn't have allowed her to possess and use my body!"

"Just admit that you have fallen for my charms, Seongwu hyung." Jaehwan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I hate you."

"That was not what you said earlier. What was it again? Right. You said: Oppa-ya, you are so handsome. I like you very very much. If we meet in the next life, I will marry you!" the shorter man crowed, clapping his hands in delight at Seongwu's embarrassment.

"You are not going to let me live it down ever, are you?"

"Never!"

"Ahhh.. Then I'm afraid Minhyun might accidentally find out what actually happened to his favourite vacuum cleaner." Seongwu's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"The vacuum cleaner? No! Wait.. Wait... You wouldn't! You promised, hyung!" Jaehwan yelled, aghast.

Seongwu looked at him pointedly and flipped his hair. "Watch me."

The dark haired man turned to his fellow 96 liner with pleading eyes but Daniel laughed and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry Jjaenie, you are on your own."

"Betrayer," Jaehwan hissed at Daniel. He turned to Seongwu with his best aegyo. "Hyung. Ongie-hyung hyung, my third most beloved person in this world, please don't be angry with Jjaenie. I'm sorry," he sing-songed.

"I thought I was your fifth most beloved. Now I am third?"

"Seongwu hyung, forgive Jjaenie please?" Jaehwan widened and blinked his sleepy puppy eyes innocently while tugging on Seongwu's sleeve.

"Hmmm... On two conditions. First, we never mention about this kissing incident ever again." Seongwu crossed his arms smugly. "And that includes you too, Niel-ah." He continued, pointing at the giggling Daniel who was extremely amused at their antics and Jaehwan's awkward aegyo.

"Yes." Both of them echoed obediently, with Jaehwan being more enthusiastic than the other. Preserving the secret of The Vacuum Cleaner Incident is paramount.

"What's the second condition?" Jaehwan rubbed his hands eagerly.

"It is more like a question?" Seongwu cocked his head to the side in a gesture of curiosity. "How did you know that I can communicate with the dead? Was it Minhyun?"

Jaehwan looked taken aback. "Minhyunie hyung didn't tell me anything. He may be a touch telepath, but he has this staunch code of honour to not reveal what he knows to another."

"That is true. Otherwise, both of you would have been lovers way earlier," Daniel chuckled.

"Please don't remind me. Those were dark days. I swear, sometimes he enjoys seeing me suffer," Jaehwan winced.

"Anyway, to answer your question; you are not the first Ong I met, Seongwu hyung. When I was young, the ahjumma who lived next door saved me from a ghost haunting. She was an Ong. Not to mention, I caught you talking to thin air several times in the past. So it's not difficult to put two and two together."

Seongwu nodded in undestanding. "Is the ahjumma still around? I would love to meet another Ong besides my own family."

Jaehwan shook his head. "She moved. We lost contact soon after. More importantly, what are we gonna tell Jisung hyung? Minhyunie hyung can do wonders but even the excuses he made for our absence would have run out by now."

"We tell him the truth?" Daniel suggested thoughtfully.

Jaehwan and Seongwu as one, stared at Daniel blankly.

***

"Do you, in all honesty, expect me to believe that the three of you were injured because you slipped, rolled down the stairs and fell through the old broken floorboards while exploring?" Jisung spoke levelly. He eyed the dishevelled, dirty and guilty appearances of the three main causes of his daily headaches dubiously.

"Actually it was..."

"More like Jaehwan..."

"I didn't fall per se..."

Jisung held his palm up and stopped Seongwu, Jaehwan and Daniel's babbling. "It is alright if you don't want to tell me the truth. I am glad that the three of you are safe and are relatively in one piece."

He heaved a sigh. "However, it would do my nerves a great favour if you informed me before you go traipsing into dangerous situations."

"It was an accident..."

"The building is old..."

"Jisung hyung..."

The leader of Wanna One placed his finger to his lips and shushed them. "Enough! I saw the destroyed toilet. Whatever that wrecked that place must not have been friendly. I trust that you have dealt with it?"

"Yes, Jisung hyung." The younger men chorused with rare synchronicity.

"Good. Lets clean you up before the staff, or worse; the fans see any of you," Jisung clucked and fussed over the troublemakers.

He beckoned to Jaehwan first, considering he seems to be the most battered among the three of them and placed his hands over the injuries.

Jisung's hands glowed a calming blue as he felt the vibrant ebb and flow of Jaehwan's Time twist and coil around his fingers. He grasped the steady ticking of the damaged body tissues and blood vessels firmly, and sped it up. Lacerations and bruises that would have taken days, took mere minutes to heal; leaving flawless skin in it's wake.

Then, he shifted his attention to Jaehwan's torn shirt. "These are pieces of Seongwu and Daniel's shirts?" Jisung indicated the scattered bloodied bandages he unravelled from Jaehwan's arm and Jaehwan nodded.

Unlike the chaotic fluidity of human Time, the inching, sluggish movement of inanimate objects are far more muted and easier to manipulate. Jisung turned the Time of the three ruined shirts in his palms and rewound it. Similar to rewinding a movie, the torn pieces reattached itself to the respective shirts, ripped seams appeared to sew itself together and bloodstains magically disappeared as if they were never damaged in the first place.

"This is so cool! Amazes me everytime you use your powers, Jisung hyung." Daniel beamed, with child-like enthusiasm as he fingered his pristine shirt.

"Stop making me blush and come closer, you brat. You're next."

Daniel's Time felt much familiar in his hands, considering the amount of injuries the younger procured during their trainee days. Nevertheless, like its owner, the tempestuous yet passionate flux of Daniel's Time required extra effort and concentration to control.

Jisung could feel exhaustion setting in when he was done with Daniel's injuries. Lastly, he moved to Seongwu but before he could place his hands on him, he was hit by a wave of dizziness.

Seongwu immediately reached out and steadied the older man. "Hyung, you rewound that toilet's time and repaired it before you found us, didn't you?"

"Someone had to cover your tracks," Jisung groused, as he leaned his head against Seongwu's shoulder to gain his bearings.

"Then save your energy, Jisung hyung. We need to perform for the MV filming later. My injuries are minor."

"But your neck..."

"The bruises can be covered with make up. I was told that I am Chaeyeon noona's favourite so it'll be fine." Seongwu smiled reassuringly.

Jisung sighed. "Very well. We should get going then. They would be restarting the shoot soon."

"Let me help you, Jisung hyung." Daniel slung Jisung's arm over his shoulder and guided the man down the hall. 

Seongwu watched ruefully as they left. _"Truthfully Jisung hyung, I don't think you can even touch my Time, let alone control it."_

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this marks the end of this mini ghost story arc... The next chapters will hopefully feature more Ongniel... *fingers crossed*
> 
> p/s: I edited this in a hurry so please forgive me if there are a lot of grammar/spelling mistakes... huhuhuh... T^T


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where certain things happened... and we get a glimpse of Sungwoon's powers...

This is awkward.

It has been a couple of days after the whole demon fiasco and the kiss that technically wasn't between Seongwu and Daniel. The raven haired man couldn't help but feel that Daniel has been antsy and walking on eggshells around him.

The easy camaraderie and late night conversations they used to share were now oddly stilted with an undercurrent of unnamed tension, causing Seongwu to second guess himself at every turn.

_Did Seongwu reveal too much of himself when he returned the possessed Daniel's kiss? Have Daniel realised Seongwu's true feelings for him and is disgusted with it? Or was the younger too polite to outright reject him and therefore could no longer react normally around the older man?_

These questions kept replaying and replaying in Seongwu's mind. The uncertainty of it all was literally driving him crazy.

From the moment Seongwu fell for Daniel he knew that it was a hopeless love. The vibrant younger man was simply unattainable and Seongwu had made his peace with that.

Just like the midsummer moon who dreams endlessly of the winter sun, Seongwu was content to pine from afar.

Seongwu thought that if he suppress his feelings, hide them deep in the dark corner of his heart, and pretend that all he felt was nothing but brotherly feelings for Daniel, he could at least keep their friendship intact. However, recent events have thrown a huge wrench into the whole song and dance.

Seongwu sighed and buried his head in his hands in defeat. Either he ignore the kiss, pretend nothing happened while he and Daniel tip toe around each other till the end of time or he man up, address the matter between them and face rejection.

There is no winning this. In the end, it boiled down to how much Seongwu can afford and is willing to lose. He groaned, running his hands through his hair.

The sudden cold touch of a bottle to his neck jolted Seongwu out of his musings.

"Your allocated time for moping has expired," Minhyun called out wryly, handing a chilled beer bottle to Seongwu.

Accepting the bottle gingerly, Seongwu pouted. "There shouldn't be a set time frame for moping. It's not humane."

"It certainly is; especially when self pity is involved. Plus, you are hogging my blankets, in my room and you know how Jaehwan feels about someone else's scent on my things."

"It spices up your sex life when Jaehwanie gets all riled up. Occasionally, you do it on purpose yourself. I am inadvertently helping you, so you don't get to complain," Seongwu rolled his eyes and deliberately burrow himself deeper into the blankets in silent protest.

"You are such a brat. This is why I can never decide if I love you or hate you." Minhyun rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in a mock affronted manner.

"You love me. I am your favourite partner in crime," Seongwu teased light heartedly.

Minhyun chuckled and settled down beside his fellow 95 liner. "Jokes aside, what are you going to do with Daniel?"

Seongwu's mood turned sombre at the mention of the younger man. He played with the bottle in this hands and avoided the fox like man's penetrating gaze. "What makes you think I want to do anything?"

"You will. Whatever happened during the whole demon debacle clearly affected both of you and it has come to a point where even our most clueless maknae had noticed." Minhyun stated plainly.

Seongwu sipped his beer thoughtfully. "Maybe, I am waiting for Daniel to take the first step?"

"He won't. You know that Daniel is straightforward and frank in handling conflicts with everyone else but you." Minhyun snorted mirthlessly.

"Seongwu-ya, this may sound heartless but you have to settle this before it gets worse and affect our team dynamics," he continued.

"Jisung hyung sent you, didn't he?" Seongwu side eyed Minhyun suspiciously.

Unbeknownst to most, Wanna One's team leader often resorts to unconventional methods and drastic measures in the name of peace keeping between members whenever a fight or disagreement breaks out. Seongwu shuddered. He would rather face a thousand rabid fans than be subjected to Jisung's meddling.

"No. But consider this a pre-emptive intervention. Although, I could get Jisung hyung involved if you wished it so."

"I hate you. I honestly, truly, completely, really, really hate you."

"You love me. I'm your favourite partner in crime," Minhyun echoed Seongwu's words cheekily.

Seongwu huffed and downed his beer in a long pull. "Sometimes, I wish I had your touch telepathy. It would have made things easier."

"Or more difficult. Getting together with Jaehwan wasn't exactly a walk in the park," Minhyun retorted.

Seongwu winced in sympathy, recalling the mess of misunderstandings. After all, he was there for most of it.

"Fine. I'll talk to him," Seongwu muttered, resigned.

 

***

It was easier said than done.

When you are living and working together with so many members, it can be difficult to find an opportune moment to sit someone down and speak privately. Or so Seongwu would like to think.

In truth, he was merely procrastinating; fearing the upcoming confrontation.

Yet, he had stalled for as long as he could and can no longer hold it off. Not when Minhyun and occasionally Jisung has started giving him pointed and concerned looks. It is only a matter of time before their group leader stepped in with guns blazing, so he had to act fast.

Seongwu seized the chance during one of their weekly team bonding slash dinner event. After everyone had shuffled out from the kitchen in favour for movies and games in their shared living room, Seongwu cornered Daniel.

It was Daniel's turn to do the dishes and a perfect opportunity for Seongwu to discuss matters on neutral grounds.

"Let me help you," the dark haired man offered, collecting the used plates and placed them carefully in the sink.

"Hyung, it is fine. I can manage this on my own," Daniel protested and attempt to usher Seongwu subtly out of the kitchen.

"I insist," the elder replied mulishly and pouted while blinking his eyes like a cute disgruntled kitten.

Daniel can't help but burst out chuckling at the sight of his adorable hyung's antics; absolutely defeated.

"Very well. I'll wash and you'll dry." He grabbed the towel by the dish rack and flung it towards the other unsuspecting man. It hit Seongwu square in the face as the older man flailed clumsily to catch it.

"Yah! Kang Daniel! This face is a work of art. Such disrespect!" Seongwu spluttered sulkily and retaliated to smack the blonde haired man with said towel but Daniel avoided his hits deftly.

An impromptu game of tag ensued between the two with Daniel giggling uncontrollably at Seongwu's growing annoyance as he failed time and time again to catch the Samoyed like man.

Just as he was about to give up on ever capturing the larger man, an idea popped into his brain. He feinted to the left while Daniel stepped to the right then quickly changed direction and lunged at his prey. Unfortunately, he misjudged his step and tripped over the leg of a stray chair.

Seongwu's arms pinwheeled comically in the air before crashing into the other man. The momentum sent both of them onto the ground in a tangle of limbs with their faces barely an inch apart.

The raven haired man gulped; throat dry. His gaze flicked downwards and sketched a trail from Daniel's graceful column of neck, to his soft pink lips and lastly to the younger's warm brown eyes.

Time stood still, suspended in a moment which Seongwu loathe to break. It was as if he was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring into the deep unknown. If only he would reach out for a little bit more, perhaps he could close the insurmountable millimetre of distance between their lips and fall with no regrets.

It was very tempting and Seongwu's defences were getting weaker with each puff of Daniel's exhale teasing innocently against his own parted lips.

However, his careful nature and hesitancy, once more became his undoing. The spell was summarily unravelled with the loud arrival of Sungwoon. Seongwu could not decide if he want to kill or thank the main vocalist for his sudden appearance.

"I heard a loud crash just now. What happened?"

Seongwu quickly pushed himself away from Daniel and laughed shakily. He got up and extended a hand to help the rapper to stand but was ignored.

Seongwu hid his hurt and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I tripped and fell on Nielie while play fighting. I'm sorry, Daniel."

Sungwoon glanced at both of his fellow members suspiciously.

"We're fine. No one is hurt. It was my fault because I started it and we just got carried away for a bit," Daniel chimed in, brushing dust from his jeans and smiled reassuringly at Sungwoon.

Sungwoon noded. "At least no one is injured. Are you done with the dishes? We'll be starting the movie as soon as the kids stop fighting over whether we should watch Black Panther or The Ring first."

"We'll get to it now. Sorry for worrying you, hyung," Daniel continued, chuckling embarrassedly.

"Do you need more help?"

"Ah... we can do this ourselves, hyung. Just holler when the movie is about to begin," Seongwu answered.

Accepting the answer, Sungwoon shrugged and left the kitchen. Almost as one, the two men turned to the sink and got to work.

Silence descended as Daniel and Seongwu work together in tandem; perfect practiced movements of scrubbing, rinsing, drying and passing of plates, bowls and cups back and forth.

Yet, beneath the veneer of calm and their rhythmic motion of washing dishes ran an undercurrent of tension that has been haunting them for days. The earlier playfulness did nothing but heighten the edginess.

Seongwu sighed heavily as he wiped the last plate dry and arranged it carefully onto the rack. _He had to do this. He had to talk to Daniel. That was the plan, right?_

"Look, Daniel.."

"Seongwu-hyung, I..."

Seongwu stared agape as Daniel broke off in a fit of giggles, amused at their synched timing.

"Ah... Hyung, you can speak first."

"No, Niel-ah. Go ahead and say your piece. I insist," Seongwu replied. Inwardly, the vocalist chastised his own cowardice.

Daniel sobered almost instantly. The change in his expression from giggly puppy to razor sharp focus often marvels Seongwu. This was one of the many attributes of Daniel that Seongwu love.

 _Yah! Ong Seongwu. This is a bad time to recount the 101 reason why you love Kang Daniel. Get a grip!_ The dark haired man wished he could slap himself for his wandering thoughts whenever Daniel turn his intense albeit unintentional sexy gaze at him.

Outwardly, Seongwu tilted his head in attention as Daniel took a deep breath. "Hyung, it was never my intention to make you uncomfortable for what happened in the last shoot. I am sorry that the demon used me to hurt you. I should have fought harder against his hold before he laid his hands on you. I sincerely regret that. The kiss..."

"It is not your fault, Niel-ah. If there is anyone to blame, then it is the demon. You don't have to apologise." Seongwu interjected, intent on stopping the younger from digging deeper in the well of self blame he is prone to do ever since he shouldered the heavy mantle of the nation's centre.

Daniel held his finger out in a shushing motion. "Hear me out, Seongwu-ya. Let me finish, please."

Seongwu dreaded this. He ought to take the lead but he was curious to what Daniel would say. Unconciously, he started wringing the towel in his hands to allay his anxiety.

"About the kiss..." The younger man reached out and placed his slender fingers on Seongwu's to halt the latter's jittery movements.

It was a mistake.

Seongwu held back a curse as the present world around him faded into the now dreadfully familiar vision of Daniel's death.

_It was the same faceless crowd screaming their names. Seongwu should be used to it by now yet past experiences still made him uneasy to walk through such a mob._

_The dagger had came out from nowhere. Not in any direction that Seongwu could make out clearly at this point in time, and he could do nothing but helplessly watch Daniel fall._

_He caught Daniel as the broad shouldered man went limp, doubled over in agony._

_All he could see was the younger man lying in an ever growing pool of blood, pain etched onto his face with an obsidian dagger plunged deep into his abdomen._

_Once again, the thick cloying smell of blood intermingling with Daniel's natural crisp scent of freshly fallen snow fills Seongwu's nose. This is wrong. Utterly wrong. This should not be happening. His thoughts were thrown in disarray as he tries futilely to staunch the bleeding wound._

_Daniel gasped weakly, struggling to speak; a stark contrast to the desperate grip of his bloodstained fingers on Seongwu's shirt, "Hyung. Seongwu hyung... I.... you..."_

_"Move your hands, Seongwu!" Jisung's voice cut through the chaos. The leader of Wanna One took charge as he removed the accursed blade in one swift movement and concentrated to heal Daniel by turning back the rapper's Time._

_However, no matter how much energy the eldest member expanded, the wound refused to close and heal. Blood gushed in copious amount between Jisung's fingers with each passing second as he focused and tried harder._

_"Why? I cannot move his Time. It is as if it is stuck. Why! Please... God... Please..." Jisung screamed in horror and frustration. Sweat dripped as he poured more and more of his energy to wrestle Daniel's Time into submission but untimately, he failed._

_Seongwu watched hopelessly and placed his hand onto Jisung's shaking ones._

_"Death is a fixed point in Time. You can't change it,_ _Jisung hyung. You don't have the power to do it..."_

"Hyung. Hyung, please say something." Daniel's soft baritone pulled Seongwu out abruptly from the vision.

"Huh? What?" Seongwu looked dazed as images of Daniel in a pool of blood overlapped with the Daniel standing hale and hearty in front of him.

"You really are that shocked..." Daniel trailed off, crestfallen. Squaring himself, he continued with his eyes averted from Seongwu's questioning gaze. "Forget what I said, then. Regarding the kiss, it doesn't have to mean anything."

"Oh... Right." Seongwu stuttered. The heaviness in his chest grew, forming a huge lump in his throat.

_Of course the kiss doesn't mean anything to Daniel. He was possessed and cannot be held accountable for what the demon did with his body._

Despite convincing himself every minute and perhaps every second that it was enough to stay quietly by Daniel's side as his best friend, Seongwu had haboured a small seed of hope that perhaps the blonde might return his love.

Now, to have that tiny sliver of hope snuffed out is nothing short of devastating.

"After all, what is a little french kissing between friends?" Daniel's words further twisted the figurative knife deeper into Seongwu's heart.

Nevertheless, the show must go on. If Daniel wants to forget the kiss and remain friends, then so be it. Seongwu won't burden the younger man with his unwanted feelings. What matter's most is Daniel's happiness, right?

Dredging up all the actor skills he could muster, Seongwu plastered a smile on his face and blurted the first thing that came to mind thoughtlessly. "That's true. However, your kissing skills still need much work, Niel-ah."

"It's not up to your standards?" Daniel asked blankly with an indecipherable expression that disappeared before Seongwu could figure it out.

Seongwu wished he could kick himself for his lack of brain to mouth filter whenever he panics. "I mean, it would have been better if it is with someone you love."

For a split second, he thought Daniel looked pained but dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"Hyung..." Daniel started but trailed off when Sungwoon barged into the kitchen once more.

"The kids have finally chosen and we are officially opening movie night with Black Panther. Let's get it!"

Sungwoon's wide smile dimmed. The petite and generally bubbly man frowned. He glanced from Seongwu to Daniel.

Odd.

"Did I interrupt something by accident?" The eldest of the three asked, sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room and shifted uneasily. His bright eyes searched Seongwu's in silent question.

"Niel hyung! You done with the dishes? The tournament is starting and you promised that you would join us in the raids!" Jihoon cut in abruptly, appearing without warning from behind Sungwoon, startling everyone.

"I thought we are doing movie night?" Sungwoon eyebrows knitted in betrayal.

"Aah... This is a time limited event. We have to do this now or never. Jisung hyung has given us leave. I'm sorry, hyung," Jihoon clasped and rubbed his palms together apologetically.

"Lets go, Niel hyung! We're going to be late." He continued, half dragging and half pushing the resigned Daniel out of the kitchen in a hurry.

The two older members watched them leave in a flurry of movement dumbfoundedly before Jihoon popped his head back into the kitchen with a parting shot. "By the way, the rest were impatient and have started the movie. Hyung, you better hurry or you'd miss the opening scene!"

Sungwoon shook his head ruefully. "Aish. Kids nowadays."

"We better make a move then," Seongwu grinned weakly. He walked towards the exit but was halted by a frim hand on his arm as he passed the shorter man.

"Seongwu, you don't look so good."

The said man visibly wilted. "Can't really hide from an empath, huh?"

"Low level empath. I don't think I can function at all if I am a true full blown empath. Thank heavens." Sungwoon emphasized, striding to their woefully empty fridge.

"Beer or soju?"

"Soju." Seongwu decided. He'll need something stronger if he wants to survive the night. "Hyung, the movie..."

"Is a lost cause once they have started without us. We can watch the replay later anyway." Sungwoon emerged triumphantly with four bottles of soju.

They settled at the kitchen island and for a couple of minutes, the only sound that permeates the room was the tinkling of glass and clinking of cups.

The two men downed several cups of soju in pensive silence.

Seongwu exhaled noisily. "You know hyung, you can ask."

"I was waiting for you to talk," Sungwoon chuckled wryly. He peered curiously at Seongwu over the rim of his cup. "It's Daniel, isn't it?"

"Guess I am that obvious," the dark haired man mumbled bitterly.

"Not really. I have a slight advantage over others. Your emotional cloud has always been exceptionally white, fluffy and delicate whenever you are around Daniel. Now, it is grey and dull. So the only reason for this change could only be Daniel."

Seongwu's eyes glistened as he stared at his distorted reflection in his soju cup.  
"I was happy just being around Nielie. It was enough. It should be enough. I know that... Yet, why does it hurt so much?"

"He rejected your confession?" Sungwoon voiced out in a careful tone.

Seongwu shook his head. "I didn't confess. But his words clearly implied that he isn't interested in anything more than being friends."

Sungwoon's brows knitted into a frown. "Are you sure, Seongwu-ya? That this isn't some misunderstanding? Because Daniel's cloud seems the happiest when he is with you."

"He is happy around all of us, Sungwoon hyung. He is warm, kind and affectionate to everyone. That is how and who Nielie is. To him, I am no different and it hurts. It hurts..." Seongwu's steady tenor wavered.

"Seongwu..."

"I'm sorry, hyung. I am not good company today. You don't have to say anything. Just, just let me wallow a bit and I'll be fine," Seongwu took another sip of soju and mustered a smile for the elder.

Sungwoon stared at the defeated posture of Wanna One's moodmaker and sighed. He slung his arm around the taller man's shoulder and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Seongwu-ya, it's okay to cry. You don't have to pretend to be strong and bear it all by yourself. I may not have beautiful healing words for you but I can stay and listen."

Seongwu choked back a sob and buried his face into the smaller man's neck, returning his embrace.

Sungwoon's nose twitched as the scent of ozone in the air thickened, signaling the oncoming storm. He watched ruefully as Seongwu's dark cloud billowed and gathered in number as they grew and grew, saturated with sorrow.

When the heavy clouds could no longer support the weight of his grief, they broke. A Rain of tears fall in rivulets literally and figuratively, dampening Sungwoon's shirt as Seongwu weeped quietly.

The main vocalist rubbed Seongwu's back comfortingly and could only hope that after every storm, there would be a glimmer of rainbow.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologise for the long delayed update... Apparently angst isn't my strong point and therefore things got backed up... (T^T) Hope you guys who are still reading this fic enjoy this chapter! The plot will move along a bit more with the next chapter...


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where unfortunate things happen, Jisung thinks their company is a dickhead (which isn't anything new) and Seongwu is plain confused.

_It was an old memory; one from when he was a child. The memory was so old that Seongwu could not remember the entirety of it. But the words, the conversation he could recall as clear as day._

_"Seongwu-ya, you must be careful." Soft feminine hands gently carresed his unruly mop of hair as he clutched and hicupped into a gauzy skirt._

_"We shoulder the consequences of our choices and actions; be it for good or bad. It is the irrefutable law of nature to demand a price in return for defying or altering fate, lest we be arrogant and reckless in our deeds." The lilting voice continued._

_"What is the price we have to pay?" the child Seongwu raised his watery eyes to meet patient ones._

_"It changes every time, but you will always know. After all, it is written in our blood and carved in our heart. Some heavier than others. So you must choose wisely."_  
  
_"Then what is the point, if I cannot protect my most important people?" Seongwu pouted petulantly._

_"But would they be happy to see you crying in pain, knowing that you purposely got hurt for their sake?"_

_"They don't have to know. And I won't cry. Even though it is painful, I won't cry. If I don't cry they won't know. Ddeongwu is a big boy now, so this is the last time." Seongwu sniffed and wiped his tears away, putting on a brave front._

_"Oh, Seongwu, my soft hearted but stubborn nephew. Our powers are a gift and a curse. You will learn in time that you cannot save everyone." Her laughter was tinged with melancholy._

_"You cannot save everyone..."_

Seongwu awoke with a start. His late aunt's words haunted him as he chased the last remnants of his dream. It has been awhile since he last dreamt of her. He hoped that this isn't an ill omen.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and peered at the plushie filled bunk bed below his.

It was empty of it's occupant. Again.

Their schedules have picked up, especially Daniel's and more often than not, they missed meeting each other face to face even though they share the same room. Either Daniel is asleep when Seongwu came back or the former is gone for his personal gig by the time the latter woke.

It was a compliclated feeling. He could not decide if he yearns for Daniel's company or dreads that their conversation would be stilted and awkward.

Whoever who said time would heal all wounds obviously forgot that scars will remain irregardless of the passage of time.

Seongwu huffed morosely and dragged his blanket up to his shoulders, preparing to sleep in until he got a glimpse of the clock on their table.

3.58am.

_He is going to be late!_ Seongwu cursed his tardy self and scrambled down his bed, nearly tripping over himself to prepare for his day.

***

"You know, if you stare any more harder and longer, you might just burn a hole in his shirt."

Seongwu sighed and averted his eyes from Daniel who is laughing and playfully fighting with Woojin in the far corner of the studio set.

"I wasn't staring." Seongwu denied vehemently as he faced the fox like member of Wanna One and crossed his arms defensively. However, his demeanor belied his words when his eyes flicked discreetly to look at Daniel once more.

Minhyun raised his eyebrows skeptically then sneakily but deftly flicked the unsuspecting raven haired man's exposed forehead with his fingers. "You're doing it again."

"Ouch! Hwang Minhyun you sneak!" Seongwu clutched his reddening forehead with both hands and glared at said perpetrator.

Minhyun chuckled, unapologetic. "Well, if you had paid attention I wouldn't have to resort to this."

"Although, when I told you to speak to Daniel, I actually meant for you to fix whatever that is going on between the two of you. Not break it."

Seongwu moved his hands downwards and rubbed his eyes tiredly. The sudden pang of sorrow at the thought of the kitchen incident with Daniel still catches him offguard and Seongwu would rather get through the shoot today without breaking down emotionally. "Can we not talk about this? At least not when I am sober."

"I just don't understand why..." Minhyun pressed but was interrupted by a small compact body slamming into Seongwu and hugging him aggressively.

"Sungwoon hyung!" Seongwu exclaimed in surprise as he teetered to the side, almost losing his balance but regained it summarily when the shorter man pulled him closer in a full body hug.

A gentle wave of calm and warmth like sunshine on your skin after a shower of spring rain enveloped him at their contact and Seongwu relaxed, recognising Sungwoon's powers.

"Is this thug bothering my favourite dongsaeng?" Sungwoon grinned at Seongwu and gestured sassily towards a shocked Minhyun.

"He did worse than hassling me. He had caused me great injury!" Seongwu declared in a dramatic fashion and pointed at his forehead.

"Hey! Since when was Seongwu your favourite? I thought I am your favourite dongsaeng!" Minhyun spluttered in mock hurt, joining in their clowning.

"Omo, my poor Ongcheongie. Your pretty face is now scarred. What should we do to punish this thug?" Sungwoon deliberately ignored Minhyun, extended his arm and patted lightly on Seongwu's forehead.

It was a brief touch; hardly a brush of bare skin on skin but it was enough.

Seongwu's world faded away. It was disorientating and disconcerting.

_This vision's characteristic was vastly different from Daniel's death vision. Where Daniel's was like watching events play through a clear mirror, this vision's clarity was like gazing at your reflection in a rippling pond._

_It was a tad blurry and distorted but distinct in its features; always moving fluidly, malleable and changeable._

_There is no doubt in Seongwu's mind that this is a Near Death. He doesn't get these type of visions often since it generally required a measure of specific timing and coincidences or perhaps some complex mathematical correlation of fate and chance that Seongwu had yet to figure out._

_They were on a studio set; him and Sungwoon hyung that is not unlike the one they are in now._

_"Seongwu?"_

_Seongwu turned to look into Sungwoon's concerned eyes._

_"Yah! Ong Ddeongwu, did you space out again? To think you missed your cue and let Minhyunie escape!" Sungwoon pouted. He unwound his arms from their hug and punched the younger's shoulder playfully._

_"Ah, I'm sorry hyung. I guess I wasn't paying attention." Seongwu laughed shakily, scratching his neck in embarrassment._

_"Sungwoon-ssi, you are next!" One of the production staff member called from across the room._

_"Looks like I'm summoned. Are you sure you are okay? You look really out of it for a moment there." Sungwoon furrowed his brows in worry._

_Seongwu smiled and shook his head in reassurance. "Go, hyung. I am fine."_

_With a nod and a jaunty wave Sungwoon jogged backwards a couple of steps then turned around to move towards the photographer. Unfortunately, he did not notice the petite female supporting staff carrying a box full of props behind him and he crashed into her. The box dropped and the items within scattered haphazardly on the ground._

_Aghast, Sungwoon apologised profusely and crouched to help gather the fallen items._

_Seongwu stepped forward automatically to assist but stopped short when a loud creaking noise caught his attention. His eyes drew towards the huge temporary light fixture above Sungwoon suspiciously seconds before it fell._

_Directly on the main vocalist._

_"Sungwoon hyung!" Seongwu called out in warning._

_It was too late._

_Blood streamed from Sungwoon's forehead as he laid motionlessly in a island of broken glass like a marionette bereft of its strings._

"Seongwu? Seongwu?"

Seongwu snapped out of the vision with a confused blink and turned to the source of the voice who called out to him.

Of course it was Sungwoon hyung, eyeing him in concern. A sense of déjà vu washed over Seongwu.

His thoughtful gaze swept across the studio set, silently matching it to the one he saw in his premonition. Seongwu's heart sunk.

"Yah Ong Ddeongwu, did you space out again? To think you missed your cue and let Minhyunie escape!" Sungwoon pouted. He unwound his arms from their hug and punched the younger's shoulder playfully.

"I'm sorry hyung. I guess I wasn't paying attention." Seongwu laughed mechanically; unintentionally parroting his own words in his vision. His eyes tracked Minhyun who had indeed ran off to the far end of the studio. Minhyun winked, stuck his tongue out at them childishly then left the set; probably to find Jaehwan who was awaiting his turn for his hair to be done in the dressing room.

"Let's catch that brat! Come on!" Sungwoon giggled brightly.

"Sungwoon-ssi, you are next!" One of the production staff member called from across the room.

"Looks like I'm summoned," Sungwoon deflated a bit but perked up and snapped his fingers mischievously. "Well, we can always ambush him when he least expects it!"

Seongwu agreed absentmindedly, his mind running a mile a second thinking of the what if's and how's. A thousand scenarios flew through his brain and it all boil down to one probable solution. The only one that might work.

"Seongwu? Are you sure you are okay? You look really out of it for a moment there." Sungwoon furrowed his brows in worry.

The taller man smiled and shook his head in reassurance. "Go, hyung. I'm fine."

Sungwoon nodded and began to step backwards. However, Seongwu caught his wrist mid wave and warned softly. "Be careful and look where you're going hyung."

The red haired man cocked his head to the side quizzically. "Okay..." Then he turned and strode sedately towards the photographer.

If only a few well placed words is sufficient to steer the hand of destiny.

Sadly, giving words of caution is like throwing a small rock into the path of a steady river. Unless a brand new path is forged, the flow of fate will simply bend around obstacles and eventually find its way to its intended destination.

_"We shoulder the consequences of our choices and actions..."_  his aunt's words came unbidden to Seongwu's mind.

He gritted his teeth as his body wound up in tense anticipation. One chance. He has a measly tiny window of change where timing meant everything.

Seongwu watched as the scene unfolded before him.

Instead of Sungwoon crashing into the petite supporting staff, it was the lady whose line of sight was blocked by the large box of props she was carrying who bumped into Sungwoon. Predictably, the box fell with its items strewn haphazardly on the floor.

Ever the gentleman, Sungwoon immediately apologised although it was not his fault and bent down to help gather the fallen items.

The large light fixture creaked ominously above the unsuspecting red head.

_Now!_

Without missing a beat, Seongwu sprinted forward, wrapped his body around his smaller precious hyung and used the momentum to roll them to the side just as the light fixture plummet from the ceiling.

The light impacted the ground and shattered into a million pieces, drawing a multitude of surprised cries from everyone within the vicinity.

Seongwu's ears roared from the adrenaline rush coursing through his veins as he pulled himself up with his arms and inspected Sungwoon for any injuries. His heart thumped erratically while he panted from the exertion of the short sprint. "Are you hurt, hyung?"

"Seongwu... Seongwu... Your side..." Sungwoon gasped, trembling visibly from shock and horror. His eyes was fixed on Seongwu's body.

"What?" Seongwu started but stopped when his breath suddenly hitched. Pain like a ring of fire bloomed from below his left ribs to his hip.

He was so preoccupied with making sure Sungwoon was fine that he did not realise the gash he himself sustained when the edge of the lighting caught and tore into his side when it fell.

Seongwu cursed silently and bit his bottom lip in agony as the pain from his wound finally registered. Unable to support himself with one hand as his other reached around himself to try to staunch the bleeding, he collapsed weakly onto Sungwoon with a groan.

This spurred the older man into action. He quickly removed his outer jacket and pressed it firmly to Seongwu's side. "Jisung hyung! Someone get Jisung hyung! Hurry!"

***

Jisung was having his makeup touched up by one of the stylist noona when Woojin suddenly dashed into the dressing room with clear distress on his face.

"Hyung! You have to come quick! It's Seongwu hyung... He is hurt!"

Jisung's eyes widened and without hesitation followed Woojin to their studio set. The sight that greeted Jisung was nothing short of terrifying.

Seongwu in a bloodied shirt, his face pinched in pain while clinging onto a pale and stricken Sungwoon who was obviously struggling to keep his calm sitting in the middle of a sea of broken glass and debris.

"Hey, Seongwu. It's okay. I've got you," Jisung kneeled beside the man. He raised his hand and gently wiped the beads of prespiration off Seongwu's forehead with the corner of his sleeve.

Seongwu, almost incoherent with pain peered at his group leader through his long eyelashes. "Jisung hyung..."

The eldest member of Wanna One smiled encouragingly in reply. With experienced hands he tore open Seongwu's ruined shirt without jostling the man or causing more undue pain to expose the wound.

He surveyed the wound critically. The laceration wound was deep, extending from slightly below his ribs to his left hip and it was still oozing blood despite the constant pressure Sungwoon and Seongwu himself had kept on it.

Jisung mentally shuddered. An inch more upwards, whatever that caused this injury would have punctured Seongwu's lung. He shook his head. Now is not appropriate for such useless thoughts.

He took a fortifying breath and focused his powers to the tips of his fingers. Seongwu's Time is singularly unique but peculiar. Where most living being's Time would be drawn like magnets to his fingertips whenever Jisung activates his powers, Seongwu's Time proved to be very stubborn and evasive.

Exactly when Jisung thought he had gripped the injured man's Time within the palms of his hands, It slipped right through his fingers like wisps of smoke and fine grains of sand.

Jisung concentrated harder and tried repeatedly to grasp the younger's Time but with no success. If he cannot touch Seongwu' Time, he is unable to manipulate or bend it to his will. He was getting frustrated and anxious for Seongwu as blood dripped from the gash.

"I can't... Seongwu, I don't know why..." Jisung stuttered, visibly panicking. Never in his life had his powers failed him.

Seongwu placed his stained hand on Jisung's shaking ones to ground him. _When had they began to tremble?_

"Hyung..." Seongwu wheezed and tried to breathe through a fresh wave of agony. "It's not your fault. Time is Deathless, and Death is Timeless. Our powers have no effect on each other, Jisung hyung."

Jisung gaped. "You are a descendant of Death? But.. They are myths..."

"We are just rare, not myths. Since I am a living proof of Death's children. Making us sound like a legend or an extinct species is plain weird and hilarious," Seongwu chuckled then moaned when the movement aggravated his injury.

"Ong Seongwu! This is not funny,"Jisung retorted and reflexively slapped the other man's right arm.

"Oww... Jisung hyung.... I am an injured man." Seongwu whined before Jisung realised what he had done and apologised profusely.

"You need the hospital. Someone get our manager hyung please!" Jisung snapped back into leader mode.

"I have sent Daniel earlier to find Hoyoung hyung." Sungwoon who had been observing their whole exchange silently interjected. Jisung's eyes met the red haired man's in gratitude for his quick thinking.

"Hyung! I have brought Hoyoung hyung."

Jisung turned to see Daniel and Hoyoung, their manager. He heaved a sigh of relief for Daniel's ever impeccable timing.

It was none too soon as Seongwu conveniently chose this very moment to pass out from the combination of stress, pain and blood loss.

***

Jisung had to admit that the upper echelons of their current managing company can be quite heartless and ruthless to say the least. Personally, Jisung think that they are dickheads for continuing the shoot on set despite the mishap that occured. From a wholly business standpoint, he could (in a skewed manner) understand that they are running on a very tight schedule but this is too much.

Hence, dickheads.

It was especially difficult for the members who witnessed the accident first hand, while the rest who didn't were unsettled and worried. However, they are all professionals. They will get their job done well for the sake of their fans who are always waiting for them.

Jisung was particularly concerned over Daniel and Sungwoon.

Daniel, because he is obviously the closest to Seongwu despite their recent mysterious falling out that had the former actively avoiding the latter. Daniel was surprisingly tight lipped about the whole matter and Jisung wisely did not pry into it. He will tell him when he is ready. However, seeing Daniel pace like a caged beast and impatiently tapping on his phone during his break with no updates on Seongwu's condition made Jisung sincerely wish those two foolish brats would just kiss and make up (literally) soon.

The oldest member of Wanna One cast his brown eyes to Sungwoon who was sitting huddled in a corner. His heart ached to see the normally upbeat man so downcast.

Jisung snatched a tangerine from the snacks table and approached the man while peeling the fruit.

Sungwoon was biting his nails nervously and was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he did not realise when the elder sat cross-legged beside him.

The dark haired man drew Sungwoon's abused hand close to him tenderly, placed the pealed tangerine in it and entwined their fingers to enclose the small fruit.

"If you need to chew on something then eat this."

Sungwoon startled at the sudden gesture. He stared uncomprehendingly at their joined hands and flushed red. He was half glad that Jisung was not looking at him at the moment.  
  
"Thanks, hyung," Sungwoon ducked his head in gratitude.

Jisung huffed. "It's nothing." Then turned to face the younger seriously. "It's not your fault, you know."

"I know. But I can't help feeling that I was the cause of it? Seongwu... He..."

"I heard from Woojin. He did it to protect you. Yes, he was injured in the process but it was his choice."

Sungwoon brought his other hand to his lips and began to nibble on his thumb. "I should have been more alert. He did warn me to be careful. If I had been faster, maybe..."

Jisung tugged the distraught man's hand away and popped a wedge of tangerine into Sungwoon's lips.

"Chew. On. This. And listen very carefully to hyung."

Jisung held Sungwoon's face firmly with both his hands and continued. "There is no 'maybes' or 'ifs'. It was an accident. Call me selfish, but I loathe to think what could have happened to you if not for Seongwu. Seongwu did what he did because he wanted to keep you safe. He will hate to see you beat yourself up over something no man can control. So, when you see him, make sure you thank him properly with your beautiful smile, okay?"

Sungwoon's heart skipped a beat at Jisung's intense gaze as he mulled over the elder's words. The shorter man finally nodded; the corners of his lips lifted a little in a tiny smile. A smile which Jisung returned sweetly.

"There you are."

Sungwoon's heart rate kicked up a notch till he thought he would faint. What on earth is this crazy feeling? He is not falling ill now is he? However, before Sungwoon could sort out his perplexing thoughts a shrill beeping interrupted him from his musing.

It was Jisung's phone. Jisung checked the message on his kakaotalk and gave a huge sigh of relief then frowned.

"What is it?" Sungwoon gulped.

"Seongwu sustained a deep cut that required a number stitches. Otherwise, he is fine. He is released from the hospital emergency department and is now on the way back here with Hoyoung hyung to finish the shoot." Jisung informed grimly. God, their company are indeed dickheads.

***

Seongwu rest his forehead against the wall, closed his eyes and just breathed.

Lethargy settled over him like a heavy blanket he couldn't shake off. He began to regret agreeing to complete his shoot despite collective protests from Jisung and the rest of his Wanna One brothers.

_"The price... It changes every time, but you will always know..."_

Seongwu shook his head. Right. Who was he kidding? They are all running on an extremely tight schedule. If he did not finish this today, they will not have enough time to prepare for their comeback.

At least he is no longer in pain. The doctors have most definitely prescribed him one of stronger analgesics. The only downside is that they leave him feeling woozy, floaty and tired in general.

Figuring that his self imposed few minutes of rest is up, Seongwu pushed himself with his arms gingerly from the wall.

He was hit by a sudden wave of dizziness and he swayed on his feet. Before he could embarrass himself by faceplanting onto the floor, a pair of strong muscular arms encircled his waist carefully and guided him to lean flush against a broad chest.

The familiar smell of warm cotton with a hint of mild citrus enveloped Seongwu as he relaxed and sink deeper into the embrace.

_Daniel._

Seongwu knew he should not take advantage of the younger man's kindness but he is exhausted and he missed Daniel's company dearly.

_"Just a few minutes more..."_ Seongwu promised to himself and allowed Daniel to carry his full weight as he drifted off in a blissful haze.

"You shouldn't push yourself too much, Seongwu hyung." Daniel chided softly, his lips brushing feather light against Seongwu's earlobe due to their close proximity.

Seongwu stirred from his lassitude. He tilted his head to the side and peered up straight into Daniel's concerned eyes. "Dear Pot, meet Kettle."

Daniel chuckled. "You won't let me forget that flu incident, huh?"

The vibrations of Daniel's laughter sent such pleasant tingles to Seongwu's sore body that he can't help but snuggle up to him.

"Never! I had to play nursemaid and you were so full of snot. It was awful," Seongwu grinned playfully.

"You poured soup on me."

"I did not! I merely... tripped."

"Ongcheongie. Ongcheongie, don't ever be a nursemaid. It doesn't suit you." Daniel teased lightheartedly. However, his tone turned serious with his next statement, "And don't be a hero either. It really doesn't suit you."

Seongwu's head snapped in shock to meet Daniel's intense but unreadable stare. Unable to withstand the tension, the elder was the first to break their unintended staring contest.

"Are you asking for a fight?" Seongwu's voice was tight, hackles raised. He was so ready to punch Daniel.

_How dare he! If he had not done what he did, Sungwoon would have ended up in a worse condition than he is._ Seongwu fumed for a moment and then backtracked.

_But wait... Daniel didn't know. And Seongwu can't tell._ Now he felt like punching himself instead.

Daniel stiffened then deflated bonelessly against Seongwu. The rapper brought his large hands upwards to the vocalist's chest and pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

The samoyed like man buried his face and nuzzled into the crook of Seongwu's neck. "You misunderstand me, hyung..."

Seongwu inhaled sharply. His traitorous heart fluttered like a hummingbird's wings on a hot summer's day. Unconciously, he raised his slender fingers and placed them on Daniel's arm, carressing them as if to soothe the other man.

"Nielie?"

"Don't." Daniel's voice came out muffled and wet on Seongwu's sensitive skin. "Don't give me a heart attack like that again, please Seongwu-ya."

_What?_

Seongwu whirled around to face Daniel but the younger man had released him from his hold and turned away.

"Daniel-ssi, can you please come here for a moment?" One of the production team member called from afar.

Daniel nodded mutely and without looking back, he left Seongwu staring at his back in a maelstrom of confused emotions.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are switching POVs in this chapter so I hope it wasn't too confusing... Thank you for reading!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seongwu hates his stupid ideas that comes back to bite his own ass and Daniel is weak to the Ong Seal army.

It was pretty late when Seongwu finally arrived to their dorm. The day's event had drained him, leaving him feeling bone tired and empty.

All Seongwu wants to do now is collapse and sleep. But first, he had to scale the imsurmountable mountain that is his bunk bed. It is times like these that Seongwu questioned his sanity in choosing the upper bunk over the lower. His injured side twinged in sympathy.

The raven haired man eyed Daniel's unoccupied but extremely inviting bed and sighed. The rapper was whisked off to another of his personal schedule once their photoshoot ended; probably leaving Seongwu alone in their room tonight. Which at this point is for the best.

_"Don't give me a heart attack like that again, please Seongwu-ya."_

Seongwu squeezed his eyes shut.

_What did Daniel mean by that? His embrace was so intimate. It is as if Daniel... No! Stop it, Ong Seongwu! Do your heart a favour and stop deluding yourself that Daniel's actions meant anything but friendship. Nothing will come from this._

The vocalist massaged his aching temples. He really doesn't want to think about the confusing man that is Kang Daniel now. It will merely drive him crazy. 

He looked at the younger man's bed longingly and made an executive decision.

_I am allowed to be bratty once in a while right?_

Seongwu flopped onto Daniel's bed and buried himself among the many soft plushies. Daniel's calming scent enveloped him like a protective cocoon and he was out like the light once his head hit the pillow.

 

***

  
Seongwu woke in the dead of the night feeling unbearably warm. His pajamas stuck to his body as his back was drenched with sweat. He shifted restlessly and startled when a familiar thick blanket slid down his lithe frame.

 _Did I cover myself before I slept? Why do I not rememeber? No wonder it was stifling hot..._ Seongwu thought groggily to himself.

He flung the blankets covering him to the side. However, the cold blast of air did nothing to cool his fevered skin. Seongwu brushed the wet bangs from his forehead and pulled himself up sitting sluggishly. It felt like he was wading through treacle; everything seemed to be very slow and difficult.

Seongwu swallowed thickly, and muffled his lips with a trembling hand, trying to suppress a hacking cough from his parched throat.

_Need water..._

Using the bed frame as support, he propelled his body into a standing position. It was a mistake as his burning side protested loudly in the form of excruciating pain. Seongwu doubled over and gasped, clutching his wounded side.

 _How could I have forgotten about it? Right... I will need medications too..._ His addled brain supplied helpfully.

He made his way labouriously to their dorm's kitchen with much swaying, several pitstops and a couple of wrong turns.

_When did their apartment layout become so confusing?_

Seongwu would have screamed in relief when he finally arrived at his intended destination had it not been for fear of waking up his team members from their much needed rest. Therefore, he settled by celebrating his achievement with a small fist pump instead.

However, his face fell when he realised he had to stretch and reach for the cups at the top cabinets to obtain water. Which spells more pain for his battered body.

"Fuck. Whose amazing idea was it to put all the cups in the topmost cabinets?" Seongwu muttered darkly to himself. Then backtracked.

_Fuck. It was me. Because I wanted to tease Sungwoon hyung whenever he visits our apartment. Why am I such a dumbass? I hate myself._

Seongwu is really his own worst enemy. He should have realised it by now. Resigned to his fate, he took a fortifying breath and braced himself.

He tip-toed, craned his rigid neck and attempted to relax his torso as much as possible to reduce the sparks of agony running amok down his side.

He huffed in frustration when the tips of his fingers brushed over and over against the cups deep in the cupboard but wasn't enough to drag any of them out from their hidden nook.

"Come on... Come on..."

The vocalist leaned further with his left hand pressed heavily onto the counter to steady himself. He bit his lip till it bled as the bitter taste of bile rose when his injured side flared in pain at the uncomfortable position.

"Yes!" Seongwu crowed when he finally managed to pitifully grab a cup by its handle and drag the difficult thing out.

His happiness was short lived when a wave of vertigo hit him as he landed back onto the balls of his feet. Seongwu gulped in huge breaths of air to stave off the accompanying nausea. He gripped the counter till his knuckles turned white and shut his eyes against the spinning room.

_This is bad._

_No, he knew it would be this bad. From the very beginning, the price was already set. He just didn't expect that he would deteriorate so soon._

Shivers wracked his body and he curled inwards to protect himself from the sudden chills and the mounting discomfort.

His fever is without a doubt, climbing. He need his medications now, yet he was too exhausted to move. His earlier activities had drained whatever adrenaline reserves he had, leaving him aching and worn out.

Seongwu peered blearily at the increasing black spots dancing a complicated tango across his vision and chuckled weakly.

_God, please don't let Nielie find me like this..._

The cup in his hand tumbled from his nerveless fingers and shattered onto the ground, but Seongwu did not hear it.

 

***

 

Daniel jolted awake. He sat up immediately with his hand outstretched, as if he was reaching for something intangible while he chased the remnants of his nightmare. Seongwu's name hung unspoken on his lips.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly when he realised he is in their dorm and not the accursed studio set, but the image of the raven haired vocalist lying motionlessly, covered in blood will definitely haunt his dreams for a while.

Daniel sighed heavily and carded his hair back in an irritated motion. It is not as if he is ungrateful that Seongwu saved Sungwoon or that he had wished Sungwoon harm. He merely hate seeing the former hurt and above all, he detested his own helplessness in the whole situation.

Seongwu may be extremely mischievous and playful but deep down he is someone who puts a lot of thought to his words and actions; especially towards the people he cares about to the extent of occasionally sacrificing his own well-being.

Daniel understood that very well. After all, that was Seongwu's most endearing point and greatest flaw. Yet, knowing does not make the hurt feel less. 

Daniel cast his eyes to the table clock. It was too early to be awake so he prepared to turn over to sleep but in doing so, he noticed the lack of baby Ong seals on the bed.

It appeared that his abrupt movements earlier had scattered the growing army of seal dolls littering the vocalist's top bunk.

Now, they lay staring at him on the floor with their cute faces silently judging and accusing him. It was as if the little adorable critters will not let him rest peacefully until he returned them to their proper perch on Seongwu's bed.

"How does Seongwu-ya sleep with so many of you without causing a rain of Ong seals whenever he wakes up? It is a mystery," Daniel muttered while descending the bunk in two steps and a short jump.

He physically cringed when his landing generated a loud thump. The last thing he wanted was to wake the older man from his sorely needed rest.

Daniel recalled the earlier visage of Seongwu's pale face frowning in pain and lined with fatigue while his slim body; made smaller by his baggy pajamas laid curled up vulnerably on Daniel's bed.

Usually, the younger man would wake Seongwu but in that moment of weakness, he can't help but give in.

In the end, Daniel had drawn his thick blanket and tucked the elder in to keep him comfortable, but drew the line at actually running his fingers through Seongwu's dark silky locks and smoothing his frown. His heart squeezed painfully. He had no right to do so. 

Daniel shook his head ruefully and peeked at his bed. He hoped Seongwu had slept though the minor commotion. However, his eyes flew open in surprise when he saw that the lower bunk was empty save for his blanket and plushies. Seongwu was nowhere to be seen.

Before he could contemplate the other's disappearance, the characteristic sound of shattering glass drew his attention.

_It can't be one of those sasaengs now, could it?_

Daniel shook his head. _They wouldn't dare. The security of their new dorm is pretty tight._

Nevertheless, he need to investigate the source and find Seongwu. He shouldn't be wandering off by himself with that injury.

The rapper could not quite control his uneasiness or the sense of foreboding that filled him as he stepped out of their shared bedroom. 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter to tide things over because the author is extremely sorry for the long hiatus and slow updates... (T^T)
> 
>  
> 
> P/S: Finally we get to see a glimpse of Daniel's side of things as we put Ong to rest for a bit...... nyahahahahhahaha.....


End file.
